Courageous Star
by FonistFarina
Summary: Sometimes, Aster liked simple. Finding himself in another world is anything but. After all, wasn't he supposed to be...? AsterxRita, YurixEstelle. Semi-Crossover with ToS2.
1. Chapter 1 - Courage

**A/N: Welcome, everyone, to this fic! This story is a semi-crossover with Dawn of the New World since Aster is thrown in here; a novelization of sorts of Vesperia. There are spoilers for Tales of Symphonia-Dawn of the New World and eventually Vesperia. Don't expect this to be a carbon copy of the game's script, because it is not; I strive to keep it more fresh while still preserving the spirit of the original material. I plan to try to release chapters bi-weekly, and likely will be able to for the first few chapters, but past Six it might take more time. **

**Also, a huge shout-out to my dear friend Alexandria Moon who helped to serve as an editor. Thanks much! 3  
**

**Without further ado, the disclaimer. I hope you all enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Vesperia or it's characters or Aster or anything else I am forgetting. I only "own" the created personality and history for Aster and this rendition of this game's great story.**

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Chapter One: Courage

'_How am I still alive?_' The blonde opened his eyes slowly to meet the unexpected sunlight. A forest, quiet, but not very dense, came into view. He swallowed something and froze. Aster lifted a shaky hand and brushed a fingertip against his tongue. As he drew back his hand, he could see bits of a red gelatinous substance dripping from his index finger. His mouth was dry, and his taste buds did not seem to be working, but judging by the appearance and consistency, he identified the material as part of an apple gel.

The young man winced as he forced himself to sit up. With a groan, he began to survey his surroundings more closely. Nothing out of the ordinary was around him, at least. The forest seemed normal, but it definitely did not appear familiar… _"Silence!" A flash, and a ball of sparkling energy appeared. The attack was quick, and at first he did not feel a thing…_ Aster slammed his eyes shut. No, he was definitely there no longer. All assumptions led to the fact that he had died, and yet his body ached too much for him to be in any sort of afterlife. That made him beg the question—what happened? He flicked the remainder of the apple gel off of his finger. Who had helped him?

"Richter?" Aster pushed himself up slowly and took an unsteady step forward. He nearly stumbled, but caught himself on a nearby tree. The lack of a response worried him. Was the half-elf simply not in the area, or… He frowned. Was it something worse? "Richter! Where are you?" The response he received was definitely not his friend.

"Hey! Some people are trying to run some experiments here, so keep it down!" Aster turned around and started toward the voice. He moved beyond some brush to see a girl roughly his age standing before a cabin, looking rather irritably back at him. She stood at least a head shorter than he, her light brown hair was cropped short and framed her face. Her eyes were green and her outfit was best summed up as strange. A multi-colored top covered her body, and two long, mismatching socks were worn on her legs. Various small instruments stuck out of the pockets on her chest, and goggles were worn on her head. She looked odd, but also pretty in her own way.

"I, uh... s-sorry!" Aster apologized, not knowing quite what else to say. His apology fell on deaf ears, however, as she continued to glare at him. "Really, I am. I understand the feeling of being interrupted while working. If I might ask, what sort of experiments are you running?" The researcher thought that maybe she was not going to answer, but she surprised him.

"Experiments with blastia, what else?" She replied as she turned around to reenter what he assumed was her home. "I'm trying to decipher some of the formulas inscribed into one that I found a few days ago." Aster stared blankly. Blastia? Formulas?

"What are you talking about? What are blastia?" The blonde bit his lip, realizing even as he said it that he must sound completely ignorant to her. Her tone had suggested that 'blastia,' whatever it was, was a common thing that he should probably know about. It could have even been a more scientific term, but because he _was_ wearing his lab coat, she might have guessed that he would know. Regardless, she turned around quickly, her face showing obvious disbelief.

"Woah, wait, did you just ask what_ blastia_ are?!" She asked with wide eyes, her tone condescending. "How can you not know what they are? _Everyone_ knows to at least some extent what they do!" His hypothesis proved true, then.

The young man's face flushed slightly. "I-I just don't. I'm not from around here, I don't think, sorry." It was an odd feeling to admit to not knowing something. Usually, he always had some degree of understanding of what he was talking about. Yet, had never heard the word 'blastia' until now, so how could he be expected to know? The girl sighed.

"Blastia utilize aer to provide us with various helpful things, like a basis for the elements, power for technology, and even supplement our battle prowess and spells. Usually, large ones are used as barriers to protect cities from monsters. And before you ask, aer, as in A-E-R, is a normally invisible substance that exists all across the world, powering blastia and allowing us to use magic." With such an explanation, Aster decided not to ask about elves and half-elves. Wherever he was, it was different from typical Aselia. Aer sounded somewhat like mana, though, but less essential to life. How was it possible that he had never heard of something like this? Tethe'alla never had such technology, and from what he knew, Sylvarant was still far worse off than his home.

"Oh," is all he offered in response to the girl's explanation. "Then, what do you mean by studying the formulas inscri-"

"How do you not know this? I thought you looked like some kind of guy from Aspio, but I guess you've been living under a rock your whole life. I only helped you because I thought you were from there, too. Guess I was wrong." She sniffed. Aster almost flinched when she spoke of why she had helped—though at least that answered the question of who had helped him…and why. "So, is there any other obvious thing you want to ask, or will you leave me alone?" The young man smiled weakly and shook his head. She did not seem like she was too willing to help him out with anything else, so he figured it best to let matters be.

"Well, thanks, then, uh…" He trailed off, realizing that he had not asked for her name. "Oh, that's right! I never introduced myself. I'm Aster Tharros. Who are you?"

"Rita Mordio." The reply was short, and she had crossed her arms as she looked blankly into his eyes.

"Well, thanks, Rita, for helping me. Good luck on your studies!" He offered her a smile. She did not return it, though a fleeting hint of confusion entered her eyes. It was clear that she wanted no more to do with him, though, so he would comply with her wish. The desire to find out what was going on burned within him, and Rita did not seem likely to help him any more in that regard.

"Yeah, whatever…" She mumbled, already heading inside the cabin, carrying about as if she had never met him. Aster sighed. To be irritated with him was one thing, but it was another entirely to pretend as if he did not exist. He got the vibe that she usually did not get along well, or interact much, with others. He brushed the dust off his lab coat and started back toward the area in which he had woken, hoping that that direction would lead to somewhere he could find out what was going on.

Despite walking for a few minutes, nothing in the woods seemed to imply that there was any town nearby. The forest seemed all the same. Aster was just thankful that no monsters had attacked him so far. Of course, his luck ran out as he began to see a lupine shape ahead in a clearing. The researcher froze, taking a few steps back. The wolf was hunched over, probably eating some other unfortunate monster, and it was likely the only reason it did not smell him yet. Continuing on in that direction, especially with no way to defend himself, would be suicide. After dying once—at least, he was pretty sure he had died—Aster did not fancy to die again.

Slowly, the blonde began to step away so not to alert the wolf, and then when he felt himself safe, broke into a run. If any other monster caught his scent and began to hunt him down, there would be no getting away; he did not consider himself anywhere near athletic enough to escape a monster. Where was Richter at a time like this?

"_I thought I told you to stop bothering me!_" Shouted the annoyed voice of Rita. Aster came to a stop, wondering what was going on. After all, he was not _that_ close to her cabin, was he? Was it someone else…? Guilt emerging once more, he started running back toward her location. He did not want to have to bother her and seek her help, but if she lived out in these woods, alone or not, she had to have some way to protect herself. If only he knew some way to convince her to help him once more… Always 'if only'.

A conflagration and smoke welcomed Aster back to Rita's cabin. The fire was still relatively small, but it was slowly growing and enveloping the wooden cabin. "Rita!" He shouted, hoping that the girl was not inside. He foolishly (but carefully) approached the blazing building, peering through a hole in the front where he thought it safe to do so. To his dismay, he saw Rita inside rushing to collect what appeared to be spherical objects that glittered with light reflected by the fire. The next he knew, he had pushed the door open and run inside. "Rita, you have to get out of here! You'll die!"

Rita favored him with a glare. "Shut up!" _"Silence!" A flash, and a ball of sparkling energy appeared... _ Aster flinched. "I need my research and my blastia! If I lose them, then…" Her voice wavered. Aster came out of his reverie as she continued. His gray eyes blazed as hot as the fires around them at her foolish words.

"What's the point of it if you lose your life?! You can write down your notes again, but no one can come back from the dead!" The irony of his statement was lost on him. The girl's emerald eyes hardened and she shook her head defiantly. Aster scowled and grabbed her arm.

"Wh-what are you doing?! Let go of me!" Rita snapped. The blonde refused, pulling her as he headed toward the door. "I need my notes! They're just on my desk!" She struggled to free herself. "Let. Me. Go!" She finally broke away from him and scrambled toward the said desk. Aster reached for her arm again, but she was too far away. She snatched the papers that rested atop her desk, and Aster was amazed that they had not yet begun to burn. However, as she turned around, a burning beam collapsed, cutting her off from the way out. Her eyes went wide as her limbs locked up, only able to watch the encroaching flames. _He was knocked back by the blast and began tumbling backward onto the chamber's bridge. He rolled onto his stomach, pain enveloping his form…_

Aster's mind snapped back to the situation at hand. His eyes widened as he became frantic. How was he supposed to sit there and watch the girl burn to death in front of him? He could run away and save himself, but how could he live with that, knowing he left her to die? Yet, how could he help her? Even if she had almost completely blown him off and had not shown herself to be friendly at all, he could not sit there and do nothing! But how could he do anything without them both dying? His lab coat was somewhat flameproof, but it wasn't big enough to wrap around them both…

A chill ran down the researcher's spine. A way to save Rita came to him, but that likely meant his own death. The pain that would come… One of his hands became balled into a fist. '_Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality_.' His infamous saying reverberated within him, and he smiled despite the direness of the scene before him. He could do this. He could do this, and he had to do this. Perhaps this was why he was still alive.

He flung himself recklessly through the fire devouring the beam The smell of burning hair filled his nostrils as he grabbed Rita's arm, drew her close, wrapped her in his lab coat, and brought her with him back over the fallen support. Adrenaline pumping through his veins, he pushed himself to cross over the threshold and escape into the outside air. Once there, he collapsed and rolled slightly to the side. Searing pain assaulted him.

The blonde allowed a quick glance at himself and noted that some of his clothes had caught fire, and he assumed by the smell that his hair was burning. Rita stood above him, appearing to be mostly unharmed, and he was glad. At least this time his life was spent to help someone. At least this time, he chose how to give his life…

There was another yell, and two completely different voices meshed together to call out his name. Pain enveloped his form and heralded the coming darkness.

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**Leave a review if you'd like; any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. If you do leave a review, I'll try my best so send you guys a short preview of the next chapter of the story. Unfortunately, guest reviews will not be able to receive these previews. Thank you for reading, and I hope you all stick with me for the next week!**


	2. Chapter 2 - Ilyccia

**A/N: Welcome back! Progress has been going pretty well, so I decided to upload this chapter a bit early. However, don't expect this to happen all the time! As we get farther along in the story, updates will become more difficult to churn out more quickly. Thanks to all who have read chapter one, and again thanks to Alexandria Moon, the editor!~  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Vesperia or it's characters or Aster or anything else I am forgetting. I only "own" the created personality and history for Aster and this rendition of this game's great story.**

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Chapter Two: Ilyccia

The fire was out, at least. It still raged in the background, but it could not touch her from so far away. Mad. He was completely and utterly mad. Rita stared down at the still form before her, her mind barely able to comprehend what had just happened. What sort of sane person would risk themselves like that for the sake of a stranger? She rolled him over onto his back. The blonde's hair was singed, some of his clothes had burned away, and he had suffered burns, but he was alive, if breathing shallowly.

Rita shivered, still wrapped in the warm coat of the boy who had saved her. It was a little big for her, but it had protected her from the fire. She could not say the same for Aster. He was lucky to not catch fire as badly as he might have thought. She had put it out with a water spell, and probably just in time before his wounds became fatal or permanently crippling. As it was, he was probably still drained from earlier when she had found him unconscious in the woods. She had thought that he was a researcher like her, and so from Aspio, but he had no idea what blastia were! She had never met anyone in Terca Lumireis who seemed to have been living under a rock for his whole life until now. How did he not know what blastia or aer were?

That was not important, though—at least not now. If he did not wake up, she would never know the answer to how he did not know. She took another apple gel from one of her pockets and placed it carefully into his mouth. It would be really annoying if he died on her. What would she do with the body? It was too bad that she was not able to use any healing artes. If she did, it would make the situation so much easier.

Rita weighed her current options. One, she could leave Aster here like before and hope that he survived on his own. Too bad that she actually had a conscience, and she knew that abandoning him after he risked his life to save her would weigh heavily on it. Two, she could try to drag him to town. That also proved to be a problem because she really was not very good at carrying things. He looked like he weighed way too much for her to properly take him to Aspio. Three, she could wait for him to wake up (if he woke up) and then help him to Aspio, trying her best to fend off monsters by herself while keeping him from getting hurt any further. That would be a huge pain, but…ugh, it seemed like it was the best option for now. Maybe he knew magic and could at least help against any monsters with that. He seemed the more scholarly type anyway, and if he was out here, he had to have a way to defend himself, right?

The mage scowled. She hated sitting around, waiting without anything to do. She had rescued her notes and her blastia, but after the fire and her brush with death, she really was not in the mood to try anything. Ohh, that jerk…

At first, she had thought that it was Aster who came back to bother her, but she saw it was some other guy who had tried to steal some of her blastia! She had sent him packing, but… Rita glanced at the blazing ruin behind her. If she ever saw him again, she would see how he liked being burned! Unfortunately, she guessed that that would be a pretty big if. Still, the guy seemed familiar…

Her eyes widened. No! That guy was that same jerk who she had seen abusing blastia in the Shaikos Ruins! Or one of them, at least. He must have come back to reclaim Bartholomew, because he was the one that that guy was after. If only she could have seen his face, because she would have remembered it. _No one _ abused blastia like that! But something about him still bugged her. Something… something. Perhaps the answer lay with Bartholomew…?

Casting another glance at the blonde, the brunette sighed for probably the fifth time. How long would it take before he woke? She wanted to head back to Aspio already! Her thoughts went to the singular life bottle that she had on her person. Usually she would keep them just when she needed to stay up and found herself too tired to do so. However, maybe forcing him to drink it would help. The waiting was almost too much to bear. Rita stepped toward the boy and crouched beside him. She lifted his head off of the ground and cradled it in one arm as she forced the opening of the bottle into his mouth. Satisfied when she got him to swallow, she waited.

Moments, later, Aster's bright gray eyes fluttered open. "Mnn…where am…?" He blinked, seeming to recognize the mage. "Huh, Rita…? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm _fine_. You, however, are insane! Why did you have to go and do something like that, playing the hot shot and jumping through the fire? You coulda died, you know!" She growled, letting go of him and backing away.

Aster smiled, wincing as he tried to sit. "Well, you could have, too. I couldn't sit and do nothing, after all." He was beaming now, and Rita groaned internally. Great. He was one of _those_ people that was just a constant ray of sunshine and happiness. "I'm glad to see that you're okay, Rita!"

"Hah! Speak for yourself. You shouldn't do crazy stuff like that for people you barely know…" She grumbled. "Anyway, we need to head to Aspio since we can't really rest here. I gave you the remaining liquid of a life bottle to wake you. Can you fight?" The blonde's cheerful expression faded, and his eyes could no longer meet hers. "Oh, great. So you'll be a complete deadweight? How did you even get out here? You should know that it's dangerous outside of a barrier for someone who can't take care of himself!" Aster's shoulders slumped.

"Yes, but I really don't know how I got here. I was with a friend—he was the one that took care of the monsters—and then suddenly I woke up around here alone. I'm sorry, Rita, but I don't have any weapon, and I don't think I can use magic. I've…never really tried." Rita groaned. Just _perfect_!

Were it not for the time constraints, she would try to teach him something about magic so that he could have some use, but it that was out of the question. Rita wondered if he would even make it to Aspio. After all, he seemed pretty worn out—not that she could blam—actually, no, she could. Perhaps Bartholomew was the answer. Normally, she would never give away one of her blastia, but the one she had most recently acquired was not relinquishing many of his secrets to her. It was a bodhi blastia, for sure, but there was nothing else she could decipher. Its primary formula was just so different from any other bodhi blastia she had encountered…but perhaps equipping it to someone and studying them would provide answers. Rita reached into her pocket and pulled out a choker.

"Here. This is a bodhi blastia, a type of blastia that enhances your natural abilities. One should help you, even if it's just to let you be able to hit things harder with a stick. You're lucky I had him on me; he's the one's whose formula I was studying. His name's Bartholomew, and you better take good care of him, or I'll make you pay!" Aster flinched, which brought a smirk to her face. Nonetheless, he accepted the choker that she handed to him.

"I-yeah, I'll take good care of…him. I-I promise I will!" Rita watched him with hard eyes, searching for some sign that he was lying to her. He met her gaze and held it until she looked away. "So, we're going to…Aspio, you said? What and where is that?" Rita glared, causing the boy to smile sheepishly

"You know what? I'm not gonna answer that. You'll see for yourself." The mage stood and started toward the north. "Hey, come on! I'd rather get there sooner than later. Camping really isn't my thing." Aster nodded and rose slowly, worry covering his face as he took a few steps. He winced when he shifted forward, but the pain did not appear to be debilitating. Taking the choker, he placed it at the base of his neck and clipped the two pieces together at the back. His eyes widened as soon as his arms came away. Rita guessed that he was simply surprised by the sheer amount of energy a bodhi blastia could provide its user with. She was not too sure as to what the repercussions of the alterations to Bartholomew's formula could be, but she figured that he was fine enough for someone to use him.

Not to mention that Aster using it could provide for her a first experiment. She hoped that she was right in thinking that Bartholomew wouldn't cause any harm. After all, she wanted to find out why Aster seemed to know so little. No one as learnéd as he seemed should have trouble recalling what such simple things like blastia were, unless…perhaps he suffered from amnesia? In Aspio, she figured she could at least ask around and see if anyone recognized him.

Aster began to hobble toward Rita, hiding the pain from his facial features as best he could. However, she could see that the burns were troubling him. Unfortunately for him, there just was nothing more that could be done for him without the presence of a healer. Groaning silently, the mage came up beside him, silently offering herself as a support to help him walk. After all, if she did not, he would slow her down greatly and they would have no chance of reaching Aspio before the dangerous hours of the night. Rita scowled at the mere thought of having to camp out in the middle of the night, having to split watches with the boy who was a liability.

"Thanks, Rita…" Aster said quietly after accepting the unspoken offer for help. He wrapped his right arm around her shoulder to support himself and began to move forward with her. His strong grip actually surprised her—she did not take him for the type with any sort of physical strength. After all, he seemed to be somewhat like her, if appearances meant anything. Judging by his clothing, he seemed involved in the sciences. His overall appearance gave off an air of intelligence, even if he was a bit lacking in the knowledge department. However, he did not seem to sport very much of an athletic ability. He looked like he could run, but that was about the extent of his physical capabilities.

The blonde offered her a curious glance as she paused to analyze his appearance. She shook her head to assure him that it was nothing, and continued on at a more accelerated rate that Aster could barely cope with. She felt slightly guilty in pushing his current limits, but such thoughts were quickly brushed away by her logical mind. It was far more important that they reached Aspio as soon as possible. There was no reason for her to be guilty about that, especially when it meant his wounds would likely be treated that much faster. She squelched the last remnants of—did she really still feel a bit guilty?

It took quite some time before the forest parted to reveal the Peyoccia Plains that stretched from Deidon Hold to the Aspion Mountains and from Ehmead Hill to the east coast of the continent. Typically, it took days to travel across the Plains. Of course, Rita had her cabin built in a sparse patch of woodland near the tip of a minor mountain range just southeast of Aspio. Town was just under a day away. So long as nothing major slowed them down, she estimated that they would reach Aspio around nightfall.

Aster took in the landscape silently, though a flicker in his eyes told the brunette that he was disturbed by something he saw. Rita frowned as she shot a glance his way, but said nothing about the matter. She would find out later, once they were in Aspio. A few rhinossus galloped across the plains, Aster watching them and frowning. She saw confusion enter his expression and then what appeared to be something…sad? Why would he be sad to see a monster run across his field of vision?

"Come on, you. We still have to cross the plains to reach town. Standing here staring at it won't get us anywhere. I dunno about you, but I'd rather not camp with the monsters." The boy flinched at her suddenly speaking. His hands fell into his pockets, and he nodded solemnly. Rita rolled her eyes. Seriously, what was with him now? Disregarding his moping, she continued onward, again allowing herself to become his support for walking faster.

"So…Aspio. What's it like?" Aster asked suddenly. His insatiable curiosity caused one of her hands to clench into a fist.

"You'll see when we get there." She replied curtly. He seemed disappointed by her answer and returned to silence as he continued to take in their surroundings. However, it was not long until he raised another question.

"You use magic, don't you, Rita? I'm fascinated by mages and their ability to do so. How do you do it? I thought…I mean, only certain kinds of people can do it, right?" The girl turned to stare pointedly at him. His gray eyes, so bright and full of curiosity, made her blood start to boil as she saw Trinn in him. He had looked much the same when he had first come to Aspio, and she had been…_ensnared_. Her lips curled into an expression of anger bordering on a growl even as her other hand formed a fist, and she snapped her head away from his gaze.

"Some have more latent talent, yes." The mage hissed. "Stop asking so many questions! Just…read some books when we get to Aspio!" There was silence, and the brunette let out a sigh. Maybe he would stop asking questions…

"What type of books does Aspio have?" Rita could have thrown her hands into the air.

"Lots; I don't know, all of them! Just look once we get there!" Aster nodded again and finally, he remained quiet for a long while. Once she noted out of the corner of her eye that he was not looking, she turned back to look over him, battling the anger that was welling up inside her. He was shaking slightly, imperceptible if she could not feel it. The mage brought her gaze back to the front. She only owed him as far as getting him to a safe place. She would not let him get any closer to her.

She wouldn't fall for it again…

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**And the plot moves along... Next update, Rita and Aster will finally meet Yuri and co!  
****Leave a review if you'd like; any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. If you do leave a review, I'll try my best so send you guys a short preview of the next chapter of the story. Unfortunately, guest reviews will not be able to receive these previews. Thank you for reading, and I hope you all stick with me for the next week!**


	3. Chapter 3 - Pain

**A/N: It's that time again! Updates~ Thanks as always to Alexandria Moon for editing! I feel terrible to be so remiss, but I must also credit Saf Dawnheart because she is there for me to constantly bounce idea off of, so thanks to her, as well!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Vesperia or it's characters or Aster or anything else I am forgetting. I only "own" the created personality and history for Aster and this rendition of this game's great story.**

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Chapter Three: Pain

There were many reasons that Aster was glad to be a researcher, and once he and Rita had reached Aspio, he was reminded of one of them. Due to his his field studies, he had gotten used to traveling and being on his feet for extended periods of time. Because of this, neither his leg muscles nor his feet were screaming at him once they approached the shadow-cloaked city hidden inside a spacious cave. Aspio was too dark, he concluded with a cursory glance over what he could see. Without sunlight, the whole place seemed far too grim to him. He could not imagine living so long in such a place where you could not even see the sun.

Two figures—they looked like knights—guarded the city entrance. Rita gestured for Aster to follow her through. He nodded and did so, but when he approached, the two guards startled him with a loud "Halt!" The blonde froze as the two uniformed men blocked him from entering the city. "Please present your passport, sir. You should know to do that by now." Aster blinked. Did they think he was from this place? If Rita was any indication of the sort of people who lived within the city, then perhaps it was similar to Sybak, and thus his lab coat made them think he was one of the city's scholars or researchers.

"Oh, right, my passport... Give me a minute. Lots going on in my head is all!" He said cheerily. Internally, he wondered how exactly he could get through to the only known civilization if he required a passport to get inside—a passport that he did not have. The blonde stuck a hand inside his coat and fished around for the nonexistent item as he tried to think of a realistic excuse. His hand found plastic, and he pulled out the identification card that had his picture, name, and position within the Imperial Research Academy printed on it. The last bit of information momentarily slipped his mind, however, as he tried to pass it off as his forgotten passport. The knights lackadaisically looked it over, nodding. They even seemed about to grant him entry until a sound of confusion rose from the knight on the right.

"Imperial Research Academy, Sybak? There's no such thing! Don't think you can fool us, kid, making up names and making a forgery to try and get inside! You are not allowed in!" Aster opened his mouth to argue, but Rita stepped forward to save him the trouble.

"Let him in." She was crossing her arms and glaring impatiently at the two knights. "Let him in as my guest, or else I'll make you!" The air around her shimmered red briefly, and both of the guards backed off, frightened.

"Y-yes, of course! P-please, sir, M-miss Mordio, come inside!" They then parted to let the pair pass. Rita 'hmph'ed and strode inside. Aster gave the guards an apologetic smile and followed after her.

"Thanks, Rita! I don't know if I could have gotten in without you doing that." She shrugged and seemed about to say something when she stopped, reading the card still in his hand. Her eyes became puzzled, and they narrowed as she scrutinized him.

"What's that for, anyway? Just something you made up on a whim? There is no 'Imperial Research Academy,' and I've never heard of a 'Sybak.' Here's some advice: Don't show that to anyone if you don't want them to think you're crazy." Aster blinked. No Sybak? But, everyone from Tethe'alla had at least heard of the City of Scholars, he had thought. Unless, maybe he was on a Sylvaranti continent now? After all, he admittedly had not studied the new geography of Aselia in too much depth.

"Oh, so this is Sylvarant, then?" He asked—just to be sure. Rita's blank stare worried him far more than he thought such a look should.

"Sylva-what? What are you _talking_ about? We're on the Ilyccian continent. Where else in Terca Lumireis would we be?" She glared. He flinched, not quite understanding why she sounded so…so angry. After all, he had saved her life, hadn't he? Not that he was expecting a reward or anything, but he'd have thought she would at least act grateful or be nice to him, if anything. Yet, she was being anything but since they began to travel to Aspio. He wondered why.

Her words troubled him, though. No place in Aselia was called 'Ilyccian' as far as he knew, and he had to admit that despite not knowing Sylvarant geography, he at least knew a lot about Tethe'alla. There was apparently no way that Rita could be from either place, so that meant that…

But that was impossible, wasn't it? Where else could he be but Sylvarant or Tethe'alla? Besides Aselia? A chill came over him, and he shivered even as his skin paled. His stomach churned so that he felt mildly sick, but he wouldn't let himself lose his nonexistent lunch. Where else could he be? But here was not Aselian. Blastia was foreign to him, aer was foreign to him, and this city and these people and some of the monsters…they were foreign to him. But how could he even get to such a place? He had been with Richter, and they finally had met Ratatosk. The Summon Spirit had been angry, and then… A dagger must have sunk into his brain, the pain emanating from it was so intense. He could not remember anything, but he tried, and the world exploded.

The third time that day—or was it a new day, now?—that he had woken was similar to the first in that no one was in sight. This time, the blonde did not even have a sweet apple gel resting upon his tongue. He tried to get up, but his body protested loudly; his muscles were all aflame and angry that he would even attempt it. Thus, he remained still and took in his surroundings. He was resting on the floor of what appeared to be a house (maybe) with blankets that seemed to have been hastily thrown around him. His eyes caught sight of his coat and even his long-sleeved, black shirt hanging on a shelf nearby. Upon taking off the blanket, Aster discovered that his arms and middle were heavily bandaged. He still wore his pants (thankfully, he thought with a slight flush), and his shoes were behind his head. Considering that his legs felt distinctively _not _in pain and that he did not feel the pressure of bandages wrapped around them, Aster decided the burns he had received earlier were restricted to his upper body alone. How he could have ignored them earlier was a mystery. Did Rita do something to him, or was it simply an apple gel that had worn off by now?

Casting his gaze around the room further, he saw no sign of Rita. It did not come as much of a surprise, given her earlier disposition toward him. The room itself was rather disorganized—and even to call it that was a bit of an understatement. The room appeared as though every single member of the Imperial Research Academy had each selected his or her favorite reference tomes and spread them across the room in various piles, all the while haphazardly scattering various research instruments and miscellaneous doodads in the spaces between. That someone lived in this space with all of the clutter amazed him. Upon inspecting his direct surroundings, he spotted an apple gel that rested a foot away from his face. Aster reached for it voraciously, wincing as pain flared up under his bandages. He popped the gelatin into his mouth and savored the flavor before swallowing and waiting for its pain-numbing properties to take hold. It took a minute, just like it normally did, and the researcher was finally able to rise from the floor—even if his balance was lacking.

Carefully, Aster took his shirt from the shelf, examined it, and slipped it on over his head. Surprisingly, only the sleeves were really damaged despite using his arms to shield both himself and Rita. At least the garment wasn't falling apart! With a moment's hesitation, he also grabbed the coat and hastily threw it on.

Now that he could see from a standing perspective, he saw the rest of the home. The upstairs boasted as limited a view from standing as he had seen from lying down. It also appeared that the entire place was one large room with a crystalline structure in the center that he thought might hold the building together. The largest stack of books he could see was near the front of the house, across from the door. The stack must have been at least three and a half feet tall, and frankly the blonde was somewhat surprised that one person could own so many books and not have them organized in some way. Regardless, he banished the thoughts of it from his mind.

After another brief look over the house, Aster decided half-heartedly that Rita was not here. Although he doubted that she would appreciate it, he thought it best to search for her within the city. After all, she was the only one he knew around the area at all. Despite the apple gel, his burns still pained him, but he would not let that confine him to a makeshift bed. Thus, he started slowly toward the door, unlocked it, and went outside into the darkness of the Aspion cavern.

Four people—rather, three people and a dog—approached the home (though hut was more accurate, Aster noted) where he had awoken. The one at the front of the group was a relatively tall man probably five or so years older than him. His hair was long and black, though in the light it seemed almost like a dark purple. His eyes looked black or dark gray, and he wore similarly dark clothes: a more low-cut v-neck shirt, pants, and long, slightly lighter-colored boots. A golden bracelet glittering with some sort of gem was upon his wrist, and in one hand, he carried strips of fabric that were tied around the scabbard of a sword.

The man smirked. "Perfect timing! I'll make a guess to say that you're Mordio. Everyone else here seemed like they'd rather die than go to his home—that is, here. So, tell me…where's the blastia core you stole from the lower quarter of Zaphias?" The man's voice was low pitched, and his tone changed from playful to dangerous as he posed the question. Aster froze. What was he talking about? What was Zaphias, and why did the man think he was Rita? Surely he didn't look like a girl to them.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what you're talking about. I'll help you if I can, but, I really don't understa—"

"You know, it gets really old when someone plays dumb about what they did. We followed your trail here, so don't try to wiggle your way out of this. It'd be a lot easier if you just admitted to stealing the core." The blonde frowned.

"But I'm not 'Mordio,' and I just got here! I've neve-" He was cut off when the man grabbed his shoulder tightly. Those dark eyes glittered dangerously.

"Yuri!" Behind him was a shorter girl who seemed closer to Aster's own age who wore odd, expensive-looking white and pink clothing. In contrast to the man, her bright pink hair was short, but elegant. Her eyes were a bright green that reminded him of Rita's. A more ornate blade was sheathed beneath a flap of her clothing, and upon further examination, he spotted a small shield hung across her back. Her face was set in a frown as she scolded the man, Yuri. Her high-pitched voice presented another foil against the man's baritone. However, he ignored her.

"Look, I'm really not in the mood right now." He said quietly. "We've traveled for at least a week from the capital, and I'd rather take care of this business as quickly as possible."

"But I'm telling you the truth! I haven't been to Zaphias; in fact, a week ago, I wasn't even…" Aster trailed off. He wasn't even what? In this world? How was he supposed to tell someone that, much less someone he had never met—someone who looked ready to kill him? As he contemplated this, his gaze fell on the other two with Yuri and the girl.

The third and youngest-looking of the three humans seemed to be a kid with spiked brown hair, and his head was level with the girl's shoulders. His apparel was not really noteworthy but for the large, blue bag slung across his shoulder, and the fact that he did not appear to wield any weapon. The blue and white dog that walked beside the black-haired man was the most curious, for Aster had seen no dog that looked anything like it. Strangely, a small sheathed dagger was at animal's upper torso, presumedly...for the dog to wield? (Aster would not put it past this world to have odd things like that.) Its tail was also incredibly long, and a scar ran down the side of its face. It looked far more dangerous than any other "pet" he had seen.

Yuri squeezed Aster's shoulder. It roared with pain, the pressure antagonizing the burns that covered that area. It brought his mind back to their discussion, but he had nothing more to say. He brought both of his arms up to try to free himself, but it ended in failure. Yuri was much stronger than he was. The blonde was slammed against the wall, momentarily stunning him and ending the struggle.

"Yuri! Stop it!" The girl rushed forward, pushing past Yuri and kneeling at Aster's side. The swordsman reluctantly relinquished his hold on the researcher and stepped back. "I'm really sorry about him. Please, let me help you." She raised a hand close to his shoulder and closed her eyes. Her fingers glowed, and the pain from his wounds faded. "My name is Estellise. Are you Mordio? See, we have been searching for him for some time. It's really important that we find him." Aster blinked, and shook his head.

"No, I'm Aster Tharros. Mordio is Rita's last name, though I don't think she stole the, uh, core that your friend is after." The researcher tried his best to ignore Yuri's glower and quickly added, "I'm not sure where she is, but I could ask her about the core when I see her, if you'd like!" The raven-haired man glanced at Estellise.

"Hey, Estelle, I'm going in to see if I can find any evidence. My earlier encounter with Mordio really didn't give me a reason to trust any of these guys." The pink-haired healer frowned, bit her lip, and hesitated. She caught Yuri's eye and sighed, probably thinking that there was no arguing with him.

Aster felt he should say something to stop the dark swordsman, but he did not really know what was going on. Normally, he'd have at least some idea what to say, but in this strange world, he had no notion of what to think. "Just don't destroy the place…" He muttered, mostly to himself because Yuri had already opened the unlocked door and gone inside. The dog and the young boy had quickly gone inside after Yuri. Only Estellise remained outside, seemingly averse on intruding into someone's home. She seemed torn, but finally made the choice to go on in. With an apologetic bow to Aster, she stepped inside. The blonde sighed. He thought it best to follow them and make sure they did not wreck things. Since they thought he was 'Mordio', they probably knew this must be where Rita lived. She wouldn't be pleased to know that he had allowed strangers inside her home…

If luck was with him, she would not find out. Then again, when was he ever lucky?

Silently, he watched the strangers interact with each other as they searched for whatever evidence they thought they would find. "So, Yuri, what are we looking for, anyway? I don't see anything here besides books, paper, and blastia." That was the young boy—Aster still had no idea as to his name.

"It'd be nice if we could just find the core itself, but most thieves aren't stupid enough to leave what they steal in the open. I'd be happy if we could at least find anything that proves what that Aster guy said wrong." "That Aster guy" sighed. He hoped that they did realize that he could hear them…

"Why is it you think that Rita stole the core? And why did you think I was her in the first place?" Yuri glanced back at him.

"It was Mordio who was supposed to fix the lower quarter's fountain. Instead, it was stolen. We tracked him down to his manor in Zaphias's Noble Quarter, only for him to get away. That's when we heard that he resided here. Why do you think he _didn't_ steal it?"

"_She_ was at her cottage in the woods, performing experiments. I think she had been there for days before we had to leave. If it took you a week to get here, then I don't think she'd have time to have been in Zaphias and then come back here." Aster returned. "Besides, I don't really know her, but she really didn't seem the type of person who'd steal. I don't think she even has time to steal between her experiments and research!" Not that he knew for sure, but that was the vibe he got from her. His heart sank as Yuri's expression told him that the man did not believe his theory. Whether it was because of sheer stubbornness or that the swordsman simply could not see the logic behind his statement was beyond him.

Yuri had already returned to his search for evidence before he spoke again. "Where is she, then, to tell us this herself? Stealing more cores?" Aster opened his mouth to speak, but promptly shut it. He doubted that anything he had to say would get through to him. After all, he wasn't one-hundred percent sure as to what he thought. His theory, after all, could be wrong. He wasn't often wrong, but there had been a few times more recently. He also had no idea where she was at the time. It was not really a surprise for him to wake up and not find her anywhere nearby, though. After all, when he had first woken with that apple gel in his mouth, she was nowhere to be found but a few minutes' walk away.

"I don't know," he admitted quietly. The blonde had the sinking feeling that that would almost be a catchphrase in the times to come. Such an odd feeling… It was disconcerting, really. He began to watch the trespassers again, and Yuri caught his gaze, eyebrow raised in disbelief. However, much to Aster's relief, the raven-haired man kept his silence and returned to what he was doing with a smirk across his face. "Rita, where are you?" The researcher mumbled.

He was almost half-expecting for her to reply just then, 'Right here,' but was disappointed. With a sigh, he resigned himself to standing off to the side and watching. He ran a hand through his hair. At least he would keep a close eye on Yuri and the others who had burst into her home. He would try his best to keep them from destroying it—that was, any more than it had been in the first place. Either way, she seemed the type of person to give him an earful for "letting them in" in the first place.

Meanwhile, Yuri groaned. Aster glanced his way, curious, but the swordsman remained otherwise silent. The researcher watched as he rifled through various objects, whether they were books, scientific instruments, or what the blonde assumed to be blastia. The dark-haired man did not seem to hold onto anything long, quickly discarding each item into a slowly-growing pile of junk much like a noblewoman selecting the perfect set of clothes to wear for the day. He never seemed to find what it was that he was looking for—the "core" he mentioned previously, was it? With a disappointed sigh, he turned around.

"Hey, uh, Aster. You said you didn't know where Mordio is. Are you sure you don't even have the slightest idea?"

Aster hesitated, taking hold of his chin in the space between his thumb and index finger as he considered it. "I can't say with any certainty, but I suppose it is possible that she could be researching something or conducting an experiment somewhere. I'm really not sure where that would bring her, though." His eyes gravitated toward a haphazardly-stacked set of notes on one of Rita's desks. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the papers were singed. Was this research she had been conducting at the cabin in the woods? As he prepared to read the contents of the notes, he was taken aback. The handwriting of the notes was horrendous! His eyes narrowed as he tried to read the title again, but a cold realization started to set in. He was unable to read the notes not because of the handwriting, but because the symbols that represented each letter were so radically different from the ones he knew.

A lump formed in the researcher's throat as he released the first page to flutter back onto the desk. He turned around slowly to speak, his voice cracking slightly. "I… can anyone read this for me? It looks…illegible to me." Yuri's eyes narrowed in turn as he strode forward and snatched the paper up.

"What the hell? I can't read this!" He glared at the page. "Is that supposed to be an R, a Z, or an H?" The swordsman glanced toward the healer who still resided near the door. "Hey, Estelle, see if you can make anything out of this, could you?" The pink-haired girl started at the sound of her nickname and rushed forward.

"Y-yes, Yuri! I'll try my best." As soon as she saw the words, however, she gasped, and one hand flew to cover her mouth. "Oh, my. This is…" A puzzled expression crossed her face as she tried to work out the title on the top of the page. "'The Rizo-ma-ta…Formula?' I wonder what that is." She moved to Aster's side to see the rest of the notes. She picked up the stack and gently pushed them together into a more organized fashion before she began to flip through them. "These are in pretty bad shape. The notes are still visible, but the paper looks as if it could fall apart any moment. What happened to them?" Aster knew exactly what had happened to them, but he did not want to bring that up. But now that she mentioned it, what _had_ started the fire, anyway? If he had any inkling of that, then maybe he could figure out where it was that Rita had gone.

"What do the notes say about the Rizomata Formula, anyway? Can you tell?" He asked. Estellise frowned, but she read on.

"'None of the others…believe me when I say the Rizomata is…attainable. They always…agree that if it could be discovered, it would be a great thing, but that…it's impossible to find. They…never will figure it out with that sort of…mentality. I will.' It seems like some sort of journal mixed in with notes. I don't quite understand what it's going on about with them." Aster could not help but smile at the stubbornness presented by Rita. Very few of the other researchers from Sybak had believed it when he had first presented the idea that monsters were related to mana. However, he and Richter had found proof in the form of Aqua. Of course, the relationship between a higher monster population in areas with higher mana levels also helped prove it, too. Likewise, there were fewer, or weaker, monsters in areas with lower mana levels...

The blonde sighed and shook his head. Reminiscing over the past would not help. It was past time he focused on the present. "Rita was studying blastia and formulas when she found me." Estellise and Yuri exchanged looks at the last comment, but said nothing. Aster continued, "She doesn't seem the type to simply abandon something halfway through. Perhaps she is still working on the same research somewhere else?" He wanted to believe that this was just a misunderstanding. Rita seemed like a nice person if you ignored the attitude and short temper, and he wanted to clear her name with these people.

Estellise's eyes lit up. "Maybe she went to the library!" Yuri glanced her way, but seemed to hold some doubts about her suggestion.

"If she was there, wouldn't we have come across her? She would have stood out since everyone avoids her." He returned. A smirk spread across his face. "Unless, of course, everyone else was too busy with their nose in a book to really tell that she was there."

"Then let's go!" The young, nameless brown-haired boy exclaimed, his arms locked in almost ninety-degree angles and his hands curled into fists. He ran toward the door, and the two older members of the group shared a knowing look. The strange dog yawned and lazily followed its master as the swordsman headed out after the boy. Aster had thought that perhaps the group would leave him now in silence, but as Yuri crossed the threshold, he paused and looked back expectantly.

"Hey, you coming? I'll see just how much you're telling us and whether your friend is the thief we're looking for." The blonde nodded and resigned to following the three—or, rather, four—travelers. He would help prove Rita's innocence. After all, she had helped him, and he always repaid his debts.

* * *

**And we move closer to the first dungeon of this fic!~ **

**********Leave a review if you'd like; any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. If you do leave a review, I'll try my best so send you guys a short preview of the next chapter of the story. Unfortunately, guest reviews will not be able to receive these previews. Thank you for reading, and I hope you all stick with me for the next week!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Follower

**A/N: Here comes the next chapter, uploaded a bit early due to business with school! The next chapter might be uploaded a bit late, but we'll see how things go. Thanks to Alexandria Moon for editing and Saf Dawnheart for being my awesome idea bouncer-offer and playthrough buddy!**

******Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Vesperia or it's characters or Aster or anything else I am forgetting. I only "own" the created personality and history for Aster and this rendition of this game's great story.**

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Chapter Four: Follower

Were her fingers not so trained to be careful while handling books, Rita's furious flipping through the pages of one would have ruined it. She was rapidly searching for the answer to her blastia troubles, but it continued to elude her. Four other tomes were scattered across the floor behind her. She still had yet to find any formula that came anywhere close to the one inscribed on Bartholomew.

It frustrated her to no end that she, the blastia expert, had little to no information on that blastia. Rita recognized him as a different kind of bodhi blastia, but beyond that, nothing. Even equipping him to that guy she found in the woods had so far proved fruitless. She had thought that equipping him onto someone else would yield answers, but Bartholomew barely even seemed to be having the slightest effect on Aster. It only brought up _more_ questions, in the end.

Who was that guy, anyway? She might have thought that Aster was an amnesiac Trinn, based on the way he was acting, but they looked nothing alike. Besides, she knew that Trinn had disappeared to Zaphias a year ago and thankfully had not heard anything about him since.

Rita slammed the book shut and threw it back onto the shelf where she had found it. She was getting nowhere! Just when her day could not get any worse, the familiar face of Aster greeted her as she tried to find another book that potentially held a lead. With him were some people she saw passing through the library earlier. Unfortunately, she made eye contact with the 'Sybak' researcher, and he smiled back at her. He said something to the smirking swordsman beside him, and said swordsman approached her quickly.

"So, I hear you're Mordio, huh?" Rita eyed him blankly, unimpressed.

"Yeah. What do you want?" His annoying smirk widened.

"I just wanted to know why you skipped town back at Zaphias, taking the aque blastia of the lower quarter with you." His voice took on a stern edge, and out of the corner of her eye, Rita noticed Aster frown worriedly. The mage shrugged.

"I don't know what you're even talking about. I haven't even been to Zaphias in months, so you must have the wrong name." His eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"We tracked the thief to Mordio's—your—mansion, and the one who was supposed to fix the blastia had your last name." He crossed his arms, the smirk fading. "How do you explain that, then?" The brunette blinked. A mansion? But she had never… She did not visit the capital enough to even consider buying a home there!

"Whoever it was, they're obviously using my name! Why would I ever stoop to stealing a blastia when I can study so many of them here? It doesn't even make sense!" She paused. Who would be using her name, anyway? Who would be willing to risk her wrath by destroying her reputation? She _was_ famous among scholars, but she could not think of anyone who would impersonate her. Although, considering her earlier thoughts, there was one who now lived in Zaphias who had proved himself willing to ruin her reputation and make her a figure of ridicule.

"Bastard!" Rita hissed to herself. "I think I know who might have offered my name, but that wouldn't do you any good. It's not like you're looking to clear my name." She shrugged again, and Aster, who stood by a distracted pink-haired girl, opened his mouth to speak. Her glare silenced him before he could even get a sound out. "Anyway, I don't think I can help you." She pushed past the swordsman and began browsing through the books on the shelf. Where was that volume about obscure formulas, anyway? She could have sworn that it was kept around here…

The annoying man with the dark hair grabbed her shoulder. "Hey, I'm not done here. Withholding information really doesn't make me trust you any more. Actually, it makes it sound like something shady is going on here." Rita gritted her teeth. He was persistent; why wouldn't he just leave her alone?! Grr...fine! At least if she shared what she had learned, he would be off her back for a while!

"Go to the Shaikos Ruins. Blastia thieves seem to have been gathering around that area lately." She growled. After all, it was from those thieves that she had found Bartholomew. She came across him while studying the ruins one day and crossed paths with a couple of men misusing the poor thing. She had acted and saved him from their grimy hands. One of them even tried to get it back from her at her cabin the other day. She fought back, of course, and it was worth it.

The man stared at her, waiting for more information. She let out a frustrated sigh. "I'll even show you the way there. It's a day's travel southeast, so follow me and hurry up."

Suddenly, a young, immature voice cried out, "W-wait! You're wanting us to follow you when it's almost nighttime?!" Rita frowned. Something about the squirt who said it irritated her.

"Yeah, and?" The boy's eyes went wide.

"B-but it's dangerous at night—everyone knows that! You can't see all the monsters that are out, so if you keep going, then BLAM! They'll get you!" The mage turned around and stared at the kid until he averted his gaze and backed away.

"Well, if you want to stay here and let the thieves probably get away, then that's your problem. Unless, of course, you're scared of some monsters." The runt did not respond, but the swordsman did for him.

"Captain Karol's just worried for the rest of the group. Monsters aren't a problem, right, Karol?" The kid nodded.

"Y-yeah, o-of course not!" Rita rolled her eyes. She was not at all fooled by his false bravado—after all, his voice even shook!

"Whatever. Come on, then." The group nodded and followed her. However, once she saw Aster starting to come as well, she stopped and whipped her head around. "Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" She snapped. Aster blinked, looking oblivious to the reason for her anger. "There's no way you're coming with us. After all, what can you do to help? You can't use a weapon, you can't use magic, and you don't seem to know much about anything! You're useless, and will just get in our way!" The blonde flinched back as if struck. His friendly gray eyes hardened and even seemed watery for a split second before he blinked. His shoulders slumped and he nodded half-heartedly.

After a short pause, Aster replied quietly, "I guess I am." The researcher turned and left through the east entrance of the library. The pink-haired girl followed after him for a few steps, but stopped. She clasped her hands together before her, her bright green eyes appearing thoughtful.

"That wasn't right…" She admonished Rita lightly. "Shouldn't you go and apologize to your friend?" Rita snorted. Why should she feel bad about keeping Aster from both hampering their progress and getting himself killed?

"First of all, he's not my friend," The mage retorted. "Secondly, it's true. He hides his idiocy well enough, but he didn't even know what blastia were when I met him! There's no one with a brain that doesn't know what blastia are! That's not even mentioning how he'll get himself, or even one of _us_ killed with his incompetence!" Her hands curled into fists. "And you, aren't you supposed to at least introduce yourself first before trying to tell me what to do?" The girl blinked and quickly bowed with a murmured apology.

"You're right, I'm sorry. My name is Estellise." Estellise glanced at the man who had confronted Rita a few minutes ago. "That's Yuri, and his dog's name is Repede. The last member of our group is Karol. It's nice to meet you, Rita!" Yet, the older girl said nothing about Aster, so Rita wondered if she was silently in agreement about not involving him. Estellise seemed to wait for a reply, and when she did not get one, frowned. She looked at Yuri for guidance, but he just shrugged and came closer to Rita.

"Let's go, then." The man headed out the south entrance without another word. His companions and Rita followed.

* * *

Aster's road was lost the moment he woke from death and realized he was in another world. A path opened up after traveling to Aspio with Rita, but in an instant, that door had been slammed shut in his face. No matter how much his heart urged him to try knocking at that door again and pleading for passage, it did not open even to a crack. Rita was right; he was useless right now, but he was sure that he could make himself useful if he tried—_somehow_. Sitting on the cobblestone, Aster glanced up at one of the glowing cyan lights that were strewn across town. The group had probably departed by now.

The blonde sighed and his gaze drifted to the ground. He hoped that they would be okay and wished that he could accompany them—if only to know that they would be safe. True, he did not know any of them, and they were less than friends, but they were still the only people he had any connection to in this entire world. The gears moved in his head. Why not follow the group and prove to them that he could hold his own? He did not know how to fight or know where he was going and his burns pained him, but he had his wits about him and he was quick. Sure, he might have a few screws loose (at least according to Richter), but with some apple gels, Aster was certain that he could make it.

The only problem now was whether he had the gald to buy the items he needed—stealing was out of the question, of course! A weapon, despite his lack of proficiency with any, would likely prove to be indispensable. Even if it was just waving a sword around haphazardly, perhaps one of those wild swings would land and save his life. What sort of weapon would be suitable, though? Nothing that he thought of struck his fancy. He had only ever wielded a pen, though a pen did not really count in the realm of weapons. The only way it could really deal any damage was with writing words, and monsters did not think in quite the same way as people did. Perhaps he could browse the local store for a weapon, at the least.

With his head clear and his purpose set, the researcher stood and entered the library once more. Hopefully, someone inside could direct him to the nearest store. As he stepped down the vertically-challenged stairs, Aster slipped a hand into his coat's inside pocket and frowned. While there was a pen and his mother's locket, it was otherwise empty. No gald. Well, that made purchasing a weapon and supplies rather problematic.

Yet, now that he thought of it, perhaps it was a good thing he had no gald. After all, what if Ilyccia used a different form of currency? Chances were that this world did—he regarded it as pure luck that they all happened to speak the same language. A shiny plate of armor soon caught Aster's attention. Out of the corner of his eye, he chanced upon his reflection and approached it with a frown.

Worn gray eyes stared back at him. Did he really look that tired? He turned his head to the right and winced at the sight of red that had spread across the leftmost quarter of his face. Some of his hair was shortened considerably, making it look as if he had an uneven haircut. Where some of his hair had burned off, the ends were colored a grayish soot. The same color was smudged across his face, or once had been, as it seemed that someone had taken the pains to clean up some of it. Aster's lips curled into a smile. At least she had had that small kindness before heading off to her studies.

Nothing else about his physiology seemed different, but he knew the other wounds were hidden by his coat. The young man was rather surprised that he did not look worse after being partially set ablaze. Perhaps part of that had to do with Rita, as well—he would have to thank her later. Done with checking his appearance, his thoughts turned to ways to earn money.

Had he anything he could sell? The locket was something he would never willingly give up since it was, and always had been, the last thing he had of his family before they died. Even if it would probably grant him a hefty sum, it was not a viable option. The pen, his favorite pen, would not grant him much, so it was not even worth it to sell that. Bartholomew stuck out in his reflection as he looked over himself once again. The silver of, err, _his_ chain clashed with the gold that he was set into, and Aster found himself wondering how much money he could get for selling that silver chain. The Aselian quickly undid the clasp and pulled the choker free from his neck. He released the bodhi blastia from its chain, slid it onto the same chain his mother's locket was on, and slipped it around his neck. After all, if he either got rid of the blastia or lost it, he figured he would meet his second end by being burned to a crisp by Rita. Such an end did not seem all too tantalizing, really.

At least the chain was not an actual part of the blastia—and it looked like something that could sell for enough to buy a weapon. That was what he hoped, anyway, for as he held it in his palm, he noticed that it did seem not to be of very high quality. Why did that not surprise him?

"You like that set?" Asked someone, startling Aster from his thoughts. The researcher blinked and looked to his right to see a woman with brown hair topped by a pink cap. The cap matched her white-and-pink dress that was far less elaborate than Estellise's. However, her hair was about the same length, and the smile was similar. Her blue eyes, however, were not. "It's a bit old and dented, but it's still good. It'd be eight hundred and fifty if you're interested." He blinked again, uncomprehending. A moment passed, and then he realized that she was talking about the set of armor he had been using as a mirror. He quickly smiled and shook his head.

"No, thank you, but could you tell me where I could buy some apple gels and a weapon?" The woman laughed and pointed straight behind her at the stall she was tending. In front of it was a sign that read 'Fortune's Market.' The Aselian blushed. "Oh, yes, sorry. Thank you. How much, ah…money could I get for this?" He offered the silver chain. "Could I possibly trade it for a weapon, if you won't buy it?" The woman took it in her hand and appraised it quickly.

"I'd say you could get a few hundred gald for it, at least. I could give you...five hundred and fifty? As for trading it for a weapon," Aster was sure that his entire face brightened at the mention of 'gald.' "it just depends upon what sort of weapon you're talking about."

"Great, thank you! I accept your offer, miss." The woman smiled and put the chain onto the stall. She then stuck a hand into a large pouch and fished out eleven coins that were worth fifty gald apiece. "May I see your weapon selection, then?" She nodded and gestured to the wall behind her where many rested. Each had a price below it, but much to Aster's disappointment, almost all of them cost more gald than what he had. Even so, he figured he would test some of them to get a feel for what sort of weapon would feel best.

Most of the weapons, just by a glance, proved unsatisfactory to Aster. A thin quarterstaff momentarily caught his eye, but the notion of bashing something over the head with it to kill it did not seem effective or sit well with him. A deceptively heavy axe was the next candidate, though in truth, he never seriously considered it. He tried it out to humor his curiosity more than anything and to see if he could even use a heavier weapon effectively. However, he could barely lift it with one arm, let alone swing it. He gripped the handle with two hands and lifted it over his head...but lost balance and collapsed to the side. The third option was a small knife, simple in design, and cheap—probably one of the few weapons he could afford.

The lack of swords disappointed him greatly—after all, a sword was the only weapon he had ever attempted to use. Once while in the field, he had been caught off guard by some monsters. Richter had been preoccupied with fending off another monster with his axe, so Aster had run up to his half-elven friend and taken his sword from its sheath. (Richter yelled at him the whole time—something about wanting to use both of his weapons at once.) Desperate adrenaline fueled his battle, and he was successful in fending off the monsters, though Richter had to intervene and send them packing in the end. Still, because of that incident, he found himself fond of the sword. It was too bad that this 'Fortune's Market' did not sell any.

Aster glanced over the next weapons on the shelf and denied them almost instantly. The last one he considered was a thick, banded whip. Curious about it, he grabbed it from the wall and tested it out by lashing out at the empty air. However, he should have foreseen that the force used had granted the whip enough momentum to latch onto his free arm and curl around it tightly. The blonde let go with a yelp as pain surged from it and reached his brain. Quickly, the weapon released his arm. Aster returned it just as swiftly to the wall. Definitely not.

The Aselian took a step back and looked at all of the weapons one more time. His mind had already been made up even as he did so, and he reached for the knife. It was no sword, but it would have to suffice for the time being. At least choosing the knife, with its short reach, was not crippling him. He only needed something to keep himself from dying, after all, and surely he did not need that much skill to just stab something, right? The dagger cost four hundred and twenty gald, but he felt the purchase well worth it. With the remainder of the gald, he bought a singular apple gel. He eyed some food supplies for sandwiches, but what he had simply would not cover the cost of them, as well. The woman seemed to notice this, and added the food to his purchase for the rest of his gald. Aster thanked her once more for the kindness and strapped the knife's scabbard to his left hip. She offered him a complimentary bag, and he threw it over a shoulder, wincing as it stung briefly from an agitated burn.

His business completed, Aster headed toward the southern exit of the library, only stopping to gaze at a rough map on the wall. Memorizing its contents around what he presumed to be Aspio, he continued on past the curling stairs and out the door. After all, if the group had left through that way, it must have meant that it led to a way out of town. With a glance to the left, the blonde saw the front entrance to Aspio about fifteen paces away. A smile came to his face, and he left the area as quickly as he could.

Upon walking into the dying sunlight, Aster mentally brought up the map he had seen in the library. The Aselian remembered a marking to the southeast of (hopefully) Aspio that probably represented ruins. Judging by the map's scale, he determined that the ruins were roughly a day away, just as Rita had said the 'Shaikos Ruins' were. Aster sought out the sun in the overcast sky and after some time found it as a ray of sunlight peeked through the canopy of clouds. He was not certain which season it was, but with the sun being so low, he could safely assume that it was anywhere from five to seven in the afternoon. Using its position, he headed directly to what he thought was the southeast. Perhaps, he mused, if he made good time, he could catch up with Rita and the others!

Thankfully, his burns did not hamper his running ability. They stung and throbbed as he moved, but it was nothing compared to other injuries he had incurred in the past—and it was nothing to death and the cold, empty dark. He grimaced and tried to dismiss the pain. If it began to sap his strength, he would eat the apple gel. Hopefully that would remove pain from the entire equation—for a few hours, at least.

Aster moved alongside an uplift of rock. He had decided that it was worth the risk of being pinned against a wall rather than being out in the open where more monsters could see him. Having a weapon should have reassured him about traveling alone in a monster-filled land, but the knife at his side barely did anything to calm his nerves. Even from his current vantage point, he could see many monsters out in the plains, and if even one looked over...

Luck was the barrier between life and monsters taking an interest in him. Most that he could see consisted of those odd, striped monsters that were easily three times his size. They seemed to be relatively passive, maybe…or they had poor senses. Besides, he thought with a faint smile, almost all of the ones he saw were too busy grazing to be dangerous.

The main threat, the researcher thought, would likely come in the form of wolves or similar predatory creatures—especially once night settled over the plains. His research on those types of monsters implied that they mostly inhabited woodlands or roamed plains during the night, but that was, of course, assuming that such monsters of this world behaved in a like way. Of course, nothing about his hypothesis was certain. Even if a monster happened upon a similar body shape to help it fill a similar niche in an ecosystem, it did not necessarily speak for its general temperament. Aster eyed the uplift carefully. He could not spot a good perch that a monster could ambush him from, so at least he need not worry about a monster dropping down on him.

Aster still could not shake the feeling of omnipresent danger that filled his being.

A few 'what-if' scenarios trickled into the blonde's mind. What if he never met up with the others? What if he was going in the wrong direction? Aster trusted his general sense of direction even if Richter did not, but just because he was going the direction he wanted did not mean that he was going in the _right_ direction, or that he would not completely miss the ruins. If he had to make a guess, the Aselian figured that Rita and the others were around an hour ahead of him. Walking, too, if he was lucky. If he could catch up to them, they probably would not force him to return to Aspio; if he could reach the group, it would likely be in a few hours' time—but only if he picked up the pace. Taking a quick glance out into the flat landscape, Aster sped up. He was not quite running, but he was almost jogging. He doubted that they traveled at a breakneck pace. If Estelle was a noblewoman like she seemed, then she likely was not used to travel by foot, so perhaps she would set the pace. He would have to see for himself if he was on the right track.

It almost seemed as if some sort of deity was on his side, for the blonde did not encounter any trouble with monsters for a long time. He was left mainly with his thoughts, though he forced himself _not_ to get too involved in them. Brooding would lead only to pain or death, and neither were particularly appealing options. Soon, the uplift gave way to more of a straight-cut cliff face, and Aster had to check it again to ease his mind. No monsters would be able to drop down on him from at least fifteen feet of a drop—or so he hoped.

Actively keeping his mind focused on the area around him, Aster's mulled over some of the things that were puzzling him. Why was this world so similar to Aselia? Both used the same currency, both used similar items, and both spoke the same language, even though the written alphabet was different. Was it possible that this world was on a plane similar to how Sylvarant and Tethe'alla were before being reunited? But, then, why would this world not be reunited with the two…unless no one else knew of it? But surely… The blonde cut off that thought to concentrate on crossing over a portion of rougher terrain. He stepped carefully, as there were many rocks around him and glanced up at the cliff, only to see overhanging stone that could collapse onto him at any moment. In a flash, the researcher stepped away from the cliff. If the rock was to fall, he would still get hurt, but it at least made him feel a bit safer.

Once atop a pile of rocks, Aster paused to gaze over the plains. There really were not any distinctive features about it, but something about it—the long grass swaying in the breeze, the monsters grazing peacefully in the open… It was relaxing. A sea of grass filled his vision, and he took in a deep breath. The area reminded him a little of the plains around Sybak once one turned away from the sea. Temptation to remain there and watch for a longer period of time hit him and it hurt.

'_Sybak..._' He stood still, closed his eyes, and allowed the wind to caress him gently. A lump appeared in his throat, but he pushed it back and began to step down from the rocks. He had to keep moving if there was any hope of catching up to Rita and the rest of the group. If he was caught out alone during the night… A howl somewhere off in the distance chilled him. If he did not get moving, he would become a meal for the wolves.

As he pressed onward, a dark spot in the distance brought a smile to his face. It would take a while to get there, but Aster could see the same woods that had housed Rita's cabin. Going east alongside the mountains so far seemed a good idea, because he seemed to be going the right way! Such optimism bolstered his energy, and he found himself moving faster than before. Hopefully it would be only a matter of time before he came across everyone!

Time passed quickly as the researcher occupied himself with theories on the world he was now a part of. Before he knew it, he spotted some figures in the distance. Eyes widening and a grin coming to his face, he began to move faster. So focused was he in catching up that Aster did not notice the lupine monster prowling the area. It spotted him quickly and began to trail him in silence. Once Aster was but a few thirty feet away from the group, it jumped. It took him by surprise, knocking him painfully to the ground.

Aster fumbled with the sheath of his knife, but the vicious wolf clawed at his right arm. The blonde recoiled from the pain as bloody furrows appeared on his skin and red seeped through the sleeve of his coat like...well, like blood. He cried out, but the soft gasp from behind barely registered in his mind. He struggled; he tried. The wolf swiped down at him, aiming for his throat, but the metal adornment on his shirt deflected its claws and probably saved his life. The mammalian monster shuffled its feet, and one happened to settle down on the scabbard of his knife. Its golden, beady eyes glistened as its muzzle dipped toward his face. Sharp, yellowing teeth glittered as its maw opened wide. Its breath smelled faintly of carrion. Sweat dribbled down the side of his neck, though some of it might have been monster saliva.

The researcher scrambled to find anything he could use to save himself since his weapon was all but unobtainable. His right hand slipped into his inside pocket, and his fingers closed around a pen—his favorite; the one he always kept close at hand just in case he needed to note something down or create a sketch.

Aster ripped the pen from his pocket. The beast's teeth were inches from the skin of his neck as he swung wildly with the writing instrument. He closed his eyes, waiting for those fangs to close on his neck. A howl was the reply; a howl, and the pen was torn violently from his grasp. The pressure on his stomach lifted. The stunned researcher opened his eyes to see the monster had taken a step back, his pen jammed miraculously into its left eye. Now blessed with a reprieve, he reached for his knife, but a voice screamed at him to instead stay down. He listened to it, and was glad he did. A fireball soared above him, striking the monster and eliciting another cry of anguish. A second fireball followed, and the creature was forced another step back. It growled, the noise sounding so pitiful now compared to the viciousness it had presented before. Aster felt sorry for it despite everything. It took a final glance at him, looked beyond him, and turned tail.

"Are you all right?" Estellise was the first one to appear in Aster's vision and she knelt beside him. He pulled himself up to a sitting position. The swordswoman's eyes shone with worry, but he smiled and nodded to reassure her.

"I'm fine, but thank you. I'm just shaken." The healer nodded with understanding and offered him a hand. Aster accepted it gratefully, and let go once he was on his feet.

"They say that the pen is mightier than the sword, but I don't quite think they meant it like that," Estellise mused with a smile. "What are you doing out here, anyway?" The blonde chuckled, reaching to scratch the back of his head sheepishly.

"Ah, well, I felt I had to come to help you all out somehow." He forced a fleeting smile. "I'm sure you could find something that I can help with, even if my, um, set of skills is rather limited at the moment." Aster explained slowly, hoping that Rita would not explode. He should have known: fat chance.

He turned around and met her furious face.

"Do you have a death wish or something?!" She demanded, glaring the sharpest daggers. "This is why I told you not to come! You can't even fight properly! If we hadn't been here, you would have been dead meat. _Dead meat!_" The brunette scowled at him and crossed her arms. Aster tried to think of a reply that might cool her off, but nothing really came to mind. Thus, he said the one thing that really stuck out.

"Well…I _did_ buy a weapon…" He said quietly.

"Yeah, and the good that that did you!" Rita spat. "Why are you so insistent on sticking with us? Can't you go and just, I don't know, read a book or _something_ in Aspio instead?" Aster shook his head with an apologetic smile. She groaned and stormed off. Yuri, meanwhile, was watching the exchange with minor amusement. Once Rita had gone, he spoke.

"She is right on the weapon thing. Why did you get one if you don't even know how to use it?"

"Well, I figured it'd be better than leaving town without one at all…" Yuri weighed the reply and finally nodded.

"Yeah, I guess so. Still, you shouldn't feel obligated to come help us. It's not like we treated you well earlier. You don't owe us anything."

The blonde turned away, inspecting at the new wound on his arm. It would need bandaging soon. "No, but I do. At least, I do to Rita. She helped me twice now when she really did not have to." He paused. "Three times if those fireballs were from her." Yuri nodded to confirm that this was so. "Three times, then."

The swordsman shrugged. "At least work on learning to use your weapon, if anything. Estelle, could you keep an eye on him in battle?" The healer nodded. "Great. Hey, uh…you."

"Aster."

"Right, Aster. Just stay out of the thick of the fighting and leave it to us. We've all got a lot more experience fighting than you," The dark-haired man grinned. "Even the captain over there. I still don't trust you or..." Yuri shot a glance at Rita. "...her, but that doesn't mean I want to see either of you keel over prematurely. You haven't done anything to deserve that yet." Aster forced himself to smile. After all, Yuri was only trying to make him feel better in his own way. Or, at least, it seemed that way. The notion of not fighting, however, did not sit very well with him. How could he sit still as everyone in the group fought for their lives and kept him from harm? With this thought firmly in his mind, he shook his head.

"No, Yuri. I might not be a fighter, but I can't sit off to the side and let you guys risk your lives to protect me. I'm the one who wanted to come. I'll be on my guard for monsters. And if they get close, well…stick them with the pointy end, right?" Yuri sighed and eyed the blonde with some concern.

"Just try not to die. If it's too much for you, run. If you can outrun whatever's chasing you, you should be able to survive a little longer. If you're with us, we should be able to help you eventually." The advice was not exactly what he was looking for, but Aster would take what he was given. With a nod to Yuri, he followed the swordsman back to the rest of the group. Rita led the group, her movements stiff and her gaze focused pointedly onward. Estellise's hands were clasped as she kept an eye out for any movement around the area. Repede, who had been at Karol's side, ran toward his master, meeting Yuri's eyes and barking lowly.

The Aselian averted his eyes from them. With every beat of his heart, something pointed out that he did not belong in this world. It was almost as if he was seeing this world through a crystal ball. He made no mark here, and it disturbed him. Did the recognition he received in Sybak really mean that much to him? There he was respected, and there he felt like someone who mattered. Here, he was no one. Home was in the past, and the past was gone; likely forever. Aster found himself wishing he still had his pen, but that, too, was gone. His eyes drifted to the knife belted at his hip. Its weight was still unfamiliar, but he needed it here. His weapon in Tethe'alla was his tongue and pen and mind, but it seemed that he would use a blade in Terca Lumireis. If Richter saw him now, the half-elf was sure to demand what had happened to him. After all, Aster had never been one for fighting before.

Terca Lumireis was a new world, however—a new world full of new opportunities. Surely, he was alive again for some greater purpose? There was a whole world awaiting him; there was no time to mourn the past. He had no place in a world not his own, but he would find a new place. Perhaps it would take some time, but someday...

A genuine smile crossed his face as he watched Estellise talk with Karol. She laughed at something he said, and the blonde found himself laughing softly himself. He would start here, with this group, and find some way to help them. While he did that, he would find his way. Dwelling on the past was only a deterrent. With a new spring in his step, he caught up to them.

As he approached, Aster realized that they were beginning to move uphill, even if by a slight amount. Peering to his right, he could discern the outline of the side of a cliff that seemed to be disappearing. "Excuse me, do either of you know how far out from Aspio we are?" He asked. The pink-haired healer frowned, which implied that she was not sure. However, Karol proved to be rather resourceful, and he pulled out a map from that large, blue bag of his.

"According to this map, we should be at least halfway there!" Aster looked over the boy's shoulder. "We should be about here, because to our left are the Aspion mountains. To the right is the East Peyoccia Uplift, and we're starting to head up onto it through this passage…here." He traced a line on the map that detailed a narrow pass between what appeared to be designated as mountains and a line that the researcher assumed represented the cliff. "And see this here? Those are the ruins we're going to." Aster nodded, though he was not actually looking at where Karol pointed. Instead, he was staring at the characters that seemed to make up a name.

"And we came from there, right?" He pointed to the section of the map where there was a dot, and the illegible name. The youth nodded vigorously, and so the researcher further scrutinized the characters. The only letters that seemed even slightly familiar were what he assumed to be an 'i' and an 'o.' The 's' seemed more like a 'y' and the 'p' seemed more like a 'g,' but he quickly committed them to memory. "Thank you." He smiled and stepped back from the boy. Karol nodded, brown eyes glowing. Aster found it strange that the boy seemed so happy, but he brushed it off as the excitement of traveling—which, in itself, seemed strange due to the way he had previously panicked about traveling at night.

"Oh, it was nothing! Every self-respecting guild member has one of these!" Karol boasted cheerfully. The researcher smiled, but he wondered why the boy felt it necessary to put up a front like that. "Hey, it looks like we might actually reach the ruins before dark!" The group had reached the uplifted land. Aster did not spot the ruins that they were heading toward, but he suspected that the small hills obstructed their view.

"That'd be wonderful!" Estellise exclaimed. "I'm sure it would be a lot easier to camp out in the ruins rather than in the middle of the plains. All of this walking is starting to wear me out…" As he thought: she was not used to walking like this. She probably was a noble, and they did not often travel anywhere by foot.

"Didn't Yuri mention something about traveling for a week to Aspio? Have you been with him for that long?" The healer nodded.

"Yes, but it's been a lot of fun, even if it has been filled with danger and a lot of walking! I'm just happy I could accompany him. I'm really sorry about how he treated you earlier, Aster. I think he's just upset that he hasn't found the blastia thief yet."

The blonde shook his head, shrugging off the apology. "No, no, it's fine. I can understand that if someone stole something that's important to you or someone you care about, you might jump to conclusions. Eand if he thought that he was almost done, he was probably ready to condemn his first suspect. I've had worse, I promise." Her head dipped to the right by a few degrees, but she said nothing. "But, if what Rita thinks is true, Yuri might have his thief soon. What will you do then?" Up to this point, he had assumed that Estellise and Karol had merely tagged along with Yuri, and yet he knew it was irrational to have done so. They probably had their own reasons for accompanying the swordsman.

"I'm not sure. I first set off with Yuri because I wanted to find a friend of mine who is in danger. That was one reason we went to Aspio, but by the time we had gotten there, it seemed that he had already left, and then we got caught up in this. I'm really not sure what will happen if Yuri goes back to Zaphias after this. I think I'll keep looking for Flynn, but I don't know." The young woman bit her lip. She seemed unwilling to continue, so the blonde looked to Karol for conversation.

"How about you, Karol?"

The boy blinked. "Me? Well, I came with Yuri and Estelle bec-" Aster's mind cut off the rest of what he heard once that name reached his ears. Wasn't her name Estellise? Estelle must have been a nickname, then. Did she not like it, if she introduced herself as Estellise? "-ried to use a Panacea Bottle to cure Halure's tree, but it didn't work! Then, I don't know how, but Estelle healed the tree! It was so cool! After that, we needed to leave town because some weird guys were chasing us. I want to go to the Tolbyccian continent, but…I-I don't need to go there now, so I figured that I'd keep Yuri and Estelle on track! I mean, I don't know how they'd get by without me!" Estellise—Estelle?—covered her mouth with her hand as she giggled. Aster also smiled as he tuned back in to the story of the group's adventures before Aspio.

"Sounds like a lot has happened in just a few days." He commented. Karol nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, these past few days have been rather chaotic," The noblewoman agreed. "What about you, Aster?" The Aselian barely kept himself from wincing at that question. He knew it would be coming and had dreaded it. What was he supposed to say, after all? There was no way he could fabricate a proper story, what with how little he knew of this world. He could only relate the last day's events, and they might want to know more.

"Oh, not much, really. Yesterday was pretty hectic, but that's about it. There was a fire, but it...it turned out okay in the end." The two at least seemed to accept that despite the lack of details. He didn't want to bring up his burns to Estelle, especially after she had commented about getting tired. If her earlier kindness was any indication, if she knew, she would have insisted upon healing him and probably become too exhausted to finish the walk to the ruins. As he thought on his wounds, the burns began to throb like an animal awoken from its slumber.

At first, Aster decided to ignore them. However, each step seemed to inflame the burns even more until he almost let out a gasp of pain. Trust them to act up only after he remembered them...

Judging it to be the right time, he slid his hand into the small bag he had gotten from the store and took out the apple gel within. While he was sure that neither Estelle nor Karol were paying attention, he popped the gelatinous substance into his mouth and swallowed. His esophagus screamed due to the size of the gel—he did not bother to chew it—but it passed, and no one in the group seemed to notice. Sure enough, after a few moments, the pain began to deaden as the painkilling effect of the gel took hold.

The group reached the top of one of the larger hills, and Rita stopped. Below the hill and a few hundred paces away was the Shaikos Ruins. The sheer size of them took Aster by surprise. None of the ruins in Tethe'alla or Sylvarant were quite so extensive save the Balacroft Mausoleum. "It might be hard to find a single thief in there," he murmured. There appeared to be many different, destroyed structures within the confines of the ruins. A single person could surely find so many hiding spots there. How were they supposed to find someone?

"H-hey, can we stop standing here and keep going? It's starting to get dark!" Karol spoke up. Rita finally turned around to glare at him, but her gaze met Aster's. Her eyes narrowed as she shot him a cold expression and she turned back around.

"Fine! Let's keep going, then. I guess we can head into the ruins in the morning." Everyone else in the group muttered their consent or remained quiet. Rita led them on. Aster's heart sank as the only thing in his mind came to be Rita's expression.

Why did she seem to hate him so much when he only offered her friendship and kindness?

* * *

**In which Rita is a jerk. Stay tuned for the next chapter in which they enter the Shaikos Ruins!**

**************Leave a review if you'd like; any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. If you do leave a review, I'll try my best so send you guys a short preview of the next chapter of the story. Unfortunately, guest reviews will not be able to receive these previews. Thank you for reading, and I hope you all stick with me for the next week!**


	5. Chapter 5 - Shaikos

**A/N: Turns out pressure can make even I get things done more quickly, so I got this chapter edited pretty fast! **

******Thanks as always to Alexandria Moon for editing and Saf Dawnheart for being my awesome idea-bouncer-offer and playthrough buddy!**

******Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Vesperia or it's characters or Aster or anything else I am forgetting. I only "own" the created personality and history for Aster and this rendition of this game's great story.**

* * *

Chapter Five: Shaikos

The white-cloaked man watched as the group, led by that blastia-crazy girl, entered the premises of the ruins. It seemed that stealing that prototype bodhi blastia was not enough for her, and so she brought others to "liberate" even more.

He had managed to evade capture by the knights who had visited a couple of days ago—instead, he thought with a grin, they returned to Aspio empty-handed. That girl, though…that Rita Mordio was persistent. He knew that from before.

"Huh…this spot is as good as any, I suppose." The long-haired swordsman near the front of the group spoke, settling down against the last standing wall of a collapsed building. "I'd say it gives us enough of a view to see anything coming, anyway. Should be safe enough." He eyed the young man wearing a lab coat whose blond hair was short and somewhat tussled. A small cowlick was prominent near the front of his hair. "Hey, kid,"

The blonde looked up. "I have a name, Yuri." He commented evenly. A much younger voice, even though he seemed to carry himself like someone older. Yuri seemed to ignore that comment as he continued.

"You mind taking the first watch?" The "kid" paused, but nodded shortly after.

"Yes, I could probably do that." The rest of the group, visibly exhausted, looked quite relieved that he accepted. "If I see anything, I'll yell." The white-cloaked man smirked. Oh, he would make sure that the blonde saw nothing. The man stepped back a few paces and pushed the angelic statue aside. He slipped into the secret passage and smiled as the statue slid back a few moments later.

Tomorrow, that group would find themselves walking into a trap.

* * *

_The Ginnungagap: The bridge between two worlds, populated only by monsters, Centurions, and a certain Summon Spirit._

_The door to Niflheim waited ahead, firmly shut against unwanted entry. Twin flames crackled at each side of the platform. Ratatosk stood a few feet ahead, expression unreadable._

"_Restore the bond with your monsters and repair the mana of the world!" A smile came to Aster's face at the Summon Spirit's words. Yes! He and Richter had finally done it! Soon, all of the unnatural phenomena would cease, and the world would be just as it __should be. "And then…" The blonde froze. Was there something else? But his research had told him that it was the Centurions and their monsters that... "...go and eradicate mankind who destroyed my _tree_!" Time all but stopped. No… This couldn't be happening__! This wasn't how it was supposed to go! He couldn't... He wouldn't...!_

"_Wh-what are you doing?!" Aster demanded, half choking on his own words. Richter remained silent—perhaps not wanting to make the situation worse with a rash, harsh word—but stiffened. Despite his silence, a flash of terror flitted across the half-elf's face. The softest of chuckles leaped into the air, and Aster was sure that the spirit was smiling._

"_You want to save the world, right?" Ratatosk returned with contempt. The blonde's hands curled into fists. He wanted to save the world—humankind, and the elves. How would all those people be saved if they were dead? This…this was not the way to do things!_

"_Yes, but you don't have to kill everyone to do that!" He insisted._

_Ratatosk did n__ot agree. He instead said that because the old tree was killed, humanity should pay for the mistakes of generations past. "You _'people...'_" The spirit's voice grew in intensity, each syllable pronouncing his deep hatred.__ "...are nothing more than _parasites_ on this world."_

_Fear raced through Aster's mind. He had to make Ratatosk see reason; the spirit was the only way to fix the world's problems, so Ratatosk _had_ to do it!__ The young researcher tried to make a quick retort..._

"_Th-that's not true! Humans and half-elves are a very important part of this-"_

_...But the spirit had had enough. Aster was out of time._

"_Silence!" A flash, and a ball of sparkling energy appeared. The attack was quick, and at first he did not feel a thing. He was knocked back by the blast and began tumbling backward onto the chamber's bridge. He rolled onto his stomach, pain enveloping his form._

"_Aster!" Richter's voice…and then the void._

"Aster, wake up! Please wake." The blonde slowly opened his eyes at the sound of Estelle's voice. The young noblewoman was sitting beside him, watching over him worriedly. "Oh, thank goodness! You cried out in your sleep, and now you're as pale as a sheet! I was really worried." Aster did not doubt her words. After all, dreaming of your death was not exactly something that one could consider healthy. "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yes! I'm fine." The blonde forced a smile. "Just a bad dream is all." She did not seem entirely convinced, but kept her thoughts to herself. "Where are the others?"

The young woman eyed something off in the distance before returning her gaze to him. "They went to search the ruins above ground while letting you rest. Yuri made us some sandwiches to eat, and there's still one left for you if you want it." Estelle turned around for a few moments, picking up said sandwich and offering it to him. Aster pulled himself into a sitting position and accepted the proffered meal.

"Thanks. Hopefully they don't get into too much trouble without you."

She opened her mouth to reply, but closed it, frowning. Her hands clasped together in an almost prayer-like position. Finally she replied, "Yes, so do I."

Aster finished the sandwich rather quickly, appreciating the simple gesture of leaving food for him. He had thought that perhaps only Estelle (and maybe Karol) cared about him. Perhaps he was wrong?

The sandwich itself was not anything special, but at least Yuri knew how to make one. Such a skill was something that Aster expected most people to be able to do, but his best friend had been unable to. The one time that Richter prepared food, he threw random ingredients onto scraps of bread and called it good. That was probably the reason that he had forbidden his friend from ever trying to actually cook.

The blonde ate the last few bites of the sandwich. "Sorry to keep you here, Estelle." The noblewoman blinked at the apology. "I know that waiting for me to wake up and eat is probably not the first thing you wanted to do." He explained with half a smile, shrugging on his coat. He picked up his knife and strapped it onto his hip.

"No, it's fine!" Estelle replied brightly. "I volunteered to wait for you, actually. Everyone else was just really eager to go into the ruins, but they said that they wouldn't go underground without me." Her response brought a small smile to Aster's face, and he nodded. It really did make him happy that at least the healer waited on him, even though her words implied that the others wanted to be free of him as soon as possible. If only an opportunity to prove himself were to appear… "Shall we get going?" Estelle asked, breaking him from his thoughts.

The researcher nodded and gestured for her to lead the way. The pink-haired girl stood and headed deeper into the ruins. As they walked, Aster took in the architecture of the area. Despite the dilapidated state of some of the buildings, the ruins seemed mostly untouched by time. A statue stood tall in the middle of the fountain, only the gentlest touches of erosion marring its otherwise crisp features. He stuck his index finger into the shallow waters there and closed his eyes. The feel of water against his skin reassured him somehow, perhaps because it was another reminder that he was alive. It felt so long since last he had been in contact with any pool of water. Although he wished that he could have remained there longer to ponder, he did not want to keep the group waiting any longer. Eyes snapping open, he hurried to catch up to Estelle.

Little plant life had grown around what must have been an old city, though strips of moss speckled the stone floor and the sides of a few collapsed buildings. Some rough, rocky pieces broken off of the walls littered the ground. Aster kicked one gently to the side as he passed under an archway. Beyond that threshold, the rest of the group came into sight. Rita's arms were crossed, a scowl across her face and her foot tapping the ground every second. Yuri stood against a statue of an angel, the scabbard of his sword temporarily discarded. Repede stood beside his master, and Karol sat against the wall.

Rita was the first to see them coming. "Finally! What took so long? We could have started into the deeper ruins long ago if you hadn't been so lazy!" If he called her words unexpected, Aster would have to brand himself a liar. He bit back an explicatory reply and simply murmured an apology. It barely appeased her, but she said no more. The mage pointed at the Yuri. "Okay, you," Her finger aimed down at Karol "and the runt should push this. Beneath it is the entrance to the underground part of these ruins. Normally, I wouldn't reveal it to anyone, but" her eyes hardened to a glare as her eyes turned onto Yuri. "I have to if I am to clear my name."

"Hey!" Karol rose, hands clenched into fists and arms locked close to his body in a stature of indignation. "Why is it only us two, anyway?" Rita offered the boy a brief glance before averting her gaze as if he was beneath her notice.

"Because I'm not going to trouble Estellise for it, and out of the rest of the group, you two are probably the most capable. It's somewhat heavy unless you have a certain type of blastia on you—which I don't." The brown-haired boy frowned as his eyes wandered over to the blonde researcher standing apart from the group. Upon meeting one another's gaze, Aster offered a friendly little wave, but Karol did not return it.

The boy asked, "What about Aster, then? He has a bodhi blastia, too, doesn't he?" If it was not for the obvious curiosity in his voice, the Aselian might have interpreted the words as antagonistic. Any anger within was directed solely at Rita, however; not him.

The mage looked slightly amused as she shrugged. "What about him? His bodhi blastia isn't a completely functioning one, and he can't even fend for himself against a simple wolf. Why would I expect anything of him?" Aster flinched at the harsh words. Did she really expect so little of him because of that? He found himself wishing now that he had accepted Richter's training offer a year ago. Then, at least, he might not have appeared to be such a burden and fool.

Yuri was silent as he listened to the banter between the two. Once it seemed they were done, he turned toward the stone statue and tested its weight by exerting a little force against it. The grimace quickly spreading across the swordsman's face told Aster that it must have been heavier than he had imagined. "C'mon, Captain," Yuri called to Karol. "It's no use to argue with her, so let's just get this over with." Now that it was Yuri who requested his help, the youth seemed more willing to labor. The boy nodded and moved to lend a hand. After a long five seconds, a low rumble erupted from the ground, and the angelic water-bearer began sliding across the cobble. The statue's absence revealed the white stairway down into what appeared to be the dark underground.

Yuri was still for only a few moments. He eyed the group for a few moments to make certain they would follow, then headed down. Karol and Estelle were almost at his heels while Rita was more reluctant to follow. Aster hurried to fall in line with them, lest he be left behind. As they descended into darkness, Rita withdrew something from her breast pocket and it emitted a tiny light. The light floated quickly to a small orb on the wall that then lit up the passageway. As soon as the light came on, the sound of stone scraping over stone became prominent again. Aster shot his gaze to their rear and saw the bottom of the statue automatically inch over the entrance from whence they came. With a thud of finality, it stopped.

The further into the earth they walked, Aster noticed with a distinct hint of surprise, the lighter the area became. After a minute of walking, the passage opened rapidly into an immense chamber lit by stray, flickering beams of sunlight. To their right rested a pile of rubble upon the extremities of a cliff. Beneath it was a sun-dappled pool of water, still and silent but for the soft trickle of water coming from the ramp to their left. Wetness clung to the air, and so far, he could see no other signs of life. Estelle's hands fell together as she took in the sights. Her arm twitched slightly, and by the shine in her eyes, the researcher could tell that she was excited.

"First time in ruins? Or, well, maybe just this place." Aster asked. Estelle nodded, though he was not quite sure which she meant to answer. She reminded him of a child only barely restraining the urge to charge into a game or an adventure. She started down the slope to a better view of the area when Rita called out.

"Careful!" She stepped in front of the healer, holding a warding arm out to stop her. "It's slippery." Yuri grinned. Once the mage finally caught sight of his expression, a tinge of annoyance flashed across her eyes. "What's with you?"

"I'm just surprised. You're actually a nice person. At least, when you want to be." The dark-haired man replied. Rita scoffed, rolling her eyes and instantly averting them. Something was muttered under her breath that Aster was too far away to hear.

Estelle seemed to catch it, however. "Do you always come here to research these ruins alone?" She asked. Incredulity and the glimmer of awe in her voice caught Aster off guard. Was this a characteristic of Estelle and nobility alone, or was it a product of the entirety of society itself? Were so few so self-reliant?

Rita answered with a simple "Yeah."

Estelle's eyes widened. She rushed forward to stand next to her presumed friend. "But aren't you afraid you'll get hurt?"

The brunette shook her head slowly. "There are always risks if you're actually doing something." The blonde nodded to himself. He had accepted that when he had decided to search for Ratatosk. Admittedly, failure was never a thought that crossed his mind, but he knew death was a possibility. He was ready for it if necessary—or so he had thought. Nothing could have prepared him for...for the pain, the emptiness, the... Rita's next words snapped him from his thoughts and elicited a frown from him. "If someone gets hurt, it's an acceptable loss."

The noble beat him to a reply once again. "Even if you're the one who gets hurt?" Rita nodded. "Aren't you ever worried, then? Do you ever hesitate?" The mage eyed the healer evenly. Aster caught a flicker of disdain in her expression.

"You must've had an easy life if you have to worry about getting hurt for something you want." The younger girl said, walking forward. "But I'm not worried. Blastia, at least, won't ever betray me, so why do I need to worry?" She continued to walk until she disappeared down the slope. The only trace of her trail was a small contraption whose central orb lit the bend in the path.

Estelle gave voice to her respect of Rita. Aster allowed the ghost of a smile as he listened in. "She knows what's important to her." Yuri commented. To his words, Estelle seemed pensive.

"I wish I knew everything that was important to me…" The girl muttered. Yuri chuckled. Aster sympathized and wanted to comfort her with that notion, but opening up about his own current insecurities would bring up questions that he would rather not answer. He did not want to tread on those grounds and potentially make things worse for himself, selfish as it was. The swordsman seemed a good enough source of assurance to her, anyway.

"Just travel around for a while. You'll figure it out." Yuri's gentle encouragement brought a smile to the young noble's face. She nodded, and began down the course already set by Rita. Aster and the others followed.

Down a staircase and further along the path, a small stone bridge led to a treasure chest. Aster eyed it dubiously. The bridge did not seem too sturdy—pieces of what once must have supported the bridge could be seen sticking out of the water, and he doubted that the crumbling structure would hold under the weight of even a child. He made a mental note to stay away. Unfortunately, Karol did not seem to do so, for the boy strayed a little too close to the bridge. Tempted by the thoughts of treasure beyond, he took a tentative step onto the bridge. It held. Aster released the breath that he had not realized he was holding. Perhaps the structure was more durable than he gave it credit for.

The next few moments proved that idea wrong. The guildsman took another few steps onto the middle of the bridge, and cracks began to appear beneath his feet. Yuri rushed to his aid, planting one foot on firm ground as he reached for the boy. As his hand connected with Karol's arm, the stone below the boy collapsed. The boy let out a cry of distress as he hung over the newly-created edge. Fortunately, Yuri's hold was strong. He pulled, and slowly the youngest human member of their party was brought to safety. Karol, the color draining from his face, watched another stone drop from the remnants of the bridge, clatter against stalagmites reaching above the water, and fall into the pool. Moments later, the water was still.

Moments later, Rita was also standing over him, hands on her hips and looking very annoyed. "Be more careful!" She snapped. "This place is loaded with traps! Ruins and old places _always_ are!" Karol flinched. The ground consumed his vision for a while, cheeks burning with shame at his carelessness. The brunette whipped around to face the rest of the group. "That goes for the rest of you, too. Be careful, or you might not be getting out of this place alive."

Aster swallowed. Getting out alive was on the agenda for today. "We'll be careful." He vowed. Rita bit back a snort. The blonde ignored it and offered a hand to Karol. "Come on, everyone. We should keep going, right?" It took the boy a few moments, but he finally accepted the help with a shaky hand. The researcher gave a sympathetic squeeze and let go.

"This way." Rita said. A second set of stairs led to a platform only a foot above the water. Aster felt slightly uneasy as they stepped onto it. Was that his imagination, or was there a disturbance in the pool? Nothing happened, though, so he assumed he was mistaken. She stopped, sighting something on a higher ground. She ran forward, up steps, and to something that seemed vaguely familiar. "No cores…" The mage commented thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" The Aselian inquired. For once, Rita did not shoot him a hateful glance.

"These are just blastia bodies. Their cores have been removed, so they're useless for now." She knelt beside one of the pumpkin-sized objects. She traced a small, spherical hole in the center of it and stood back up.

Yuri came up beside her. "So, I guess you and your other mage friends already stole these, too, huh?"

A glare was shot his way. "Hell no! Why would I have to steal a core when basic ones can be synthesized now? It's a better use of my time to try to upgrade those or restore broken ones. _That_ is what being a mage is all about! Why waste my time with doing something stupid like going around and _stealing_ blastia cores?" If he had not already been convinced, the passion in her voice would prove that she was no thief. The swordsman, however, only raised an eyebrow. He seemed to be considering what she had said, but did not seem anywhere near convinced of her innocence.

"A noble creed," Yuri finally said, "but that still doesn't clear your name." Rita shrugged, probably not expecting anything less.

The group continued down the path in silence. It curved to the right and then ceased, a gap too wide to jump separating it from the next section. Another blastia lamp stood beside the opening, the top extending into a cone-like structure. The others that Rita had lit before seemed smaller than this one.

Yuri hovered over her as she was about to light it with what appeared to be a ring. Aster's eyes widened slightly. The ring seemed to emit a small burst of aer when Rita held her hand out and concentrated, but Yuri grabbed the girl's arm so that the burst of aer missed the target.

In another world, it would release mana, and that ring would be in the hands of the Chosen One.

"You want us to trust you, but how do I know these aren't more than just lamps?" The swordsman asked. The mage fixed him with an annoyed stare. Perhaps, the Aselia mused, she had gotten tired of glaring at them all all the time…

"Then I'll stop lighting them, and we can wander around in the dark." Rita retorted. "Take your pick."

Yuri shook his head. "Maybe you should give me the ring so you can't set up a trap for us."

She scowled. "Fine!" She ripped the simple, thick ring off her finger and shoved it into the man's outstretched hand. "But don't expect me to tell you how to use it." Yuri slid it onto his finger and held up the hand to the light to get a better view of it.

"That's the Sorcerer's Ring, isn't it?" Aster asked quietly. Rita narrowed her eyes and watched him. She seemed contemplative for a few moments before she opened her mouth.

Estelle beat her to the reply, however. "Yes! I've read books about it at the castle!"

Rita glanced at the noblewoman, considering, and then returned her gaze to Aster. "I thought you said you didn't know anything." The researcher saw in her eyes that he was treading on dangerous grounds.

The blonde hesitated. Well, he did not say _that_… Not exactly. Yet, her words drove him into a corner. He had to think more before speaking! He did not want to seem crazy—or, at least, crazier—to these people.

"I've, uh… I've heard of that ring, at least." The look did not fade; in fact, the suspicion in her eyes seemed to deepen. Confusion had trickled into her expression, however, and she seemed unsure of what to say. "I…I read it in one of your books, I mean. At your house. After I woke up the, uh, other day." Smooth. The brunette muttered something unintelligible and looked across the gap.

"That lamp is special. It provides light, but it'll also bring up a bridge to get further into the ruins. The mages at Aspio installed these so no one without a Sorcerer's Ring could pass. I suspect that somehow your thieves managed to get their hands on one. I don't know how, but…"

Estelle's face lit up. "Oh, that's right! Only a select few people are granted these rings, right? I'm impressed that you managed to get one, Rita!" Yuri rolled his eyes.

"Looks like someone trusts you."

The girl's attention snapped toward the oldest of the group. "You're the only one who doesn't." Aster bit his lip. She _was_ right_. _Both Karol and Estelle trusted Rita—though Yuri, and by extension, Repede, did not. Well, the researcher was not completely sure what the dog thought. He had not seen an animal so intelligent and human in mannerisms before...excluding lesser Summon Spirits, of course. Still, Repede was an animal and harder for Aster to read than either a human or simple monster.

"Yuri," The blonde began slowly. "surely you can't still think that she stole that core you're looking for."

The swordsman looked away. "And for all I know, you could be playing innocent and she's leading us into the dark to zap us or something."

Aster sighed. True, Yuri's guess could be correct, but they were still strange thoughts. Neither of them had done anything shifty yet, had they? "You're just paranoid." He decided quietly.

"Maybe. I still don't trust either of you, kid." The swordsman moved ahead of them, eliciting a frown from the blonde. Was trust really so difficult to come by in this world? Yuri stared long and hard at the blastia lamp and raised his hand. For all that he had said about the lamp setting up a trap, he seemed resolved to activating it. Aster had to admit that there was not much else of a choice if they were to proceed, however. The oldest of the group concentrated, and a small burst of aer struck the blastia. A reddish light grew from its pale, crystalline shape as stone rose from the water and created a link to the next platform. Yuri carefully placed one foot on the bridge once it had settled. It did not collapse, so the swordsman continued to the other side. The others were quick to follow, only Estelle looking back to see if Aster was coming.

Aster crossed the bridge with a bit of hesitation. Karol's near-fall had made him perhaps overly cautious around such structures, for he did not think that anyone would react so quickly to save him if it gave way. Even if they did, he was not sure whether they would be able to, as he was a good few feet behind the rest of the group. Even Estelle had abandoned watching him once she was sure that he was going to make it safely across.

It finally occurred to the Aselian how quiet the area was without the chatter between the others. In ruins, were there not usually more monsters? In all of the seals that he had visited with Richter, monsters seemed to swarm the areas. Perhaps, however, it was because of the seals' relationships with the Centurions that made monsters gather. From what he had seen, no such reasons would exist here. Did that mean that this world was a safer one than Aselia? Yet, so much else was in common between the two worlds... He had a suspicion that they were simply lucky.

The group rounded a corner to enter a larger area. Four pillars dotted spaces in-between pathways. The platform that they were on winded around one pillar and turned to the opposite direction. This design repeated once, but at the end of that path, it bended southward. Gaps too large to leap filled the space between the platforms, leaving Aster to wonder why exactly the creators of these ruins had decided to build like this. The strangest thing of all was that the blastia lamps were already lit.

Someone had been here recently.

Estelle glanced at the ceiling, worry spreading into her bright eyes. He thought that she had reached the same conclusion. He was proven wrong.

"If the roof collapsed," she breathed, "we'd be buried alive."

Karol froze at the spot. The boy's eyes grew wide as he shot a look upward. Aster saw a small tremor pass through him. "Estelle! D-don't say things like that, or it really will happen!" He stammered quickly. "'Cause that's always how things go! Don't you know that?!" The pink-haired one blinked. She paused in her step and pondered it.

"Really? I hadn't ever heard that…"

Rita snorted. She met the gaze of the noblewoman, eyes dully unimpressed. "That's ridiculous. These ruins have been around a long time, and if they've existed this long, there's no way that they'll just suddenly collapse just because you're talking about it!" She pushed ahead of them without offering another glance.

Aster smiled. "The state of these ruins doesn't give your words much credit, Rita. It all looks like it could fall apart any minute."

The mage went back to glaring at him. "No, there's no way! The place looks like this because we're in _ruins_! There's a reason they're called that!" Aster was about to chuckle and answer her when a small vibration rippled through the stone beneath their feet. His smile faded. He meant to joke, but were the ruins really collapsing…? Fear pierced him like an arrow. No way! It couldn't…

"Sorry," Yuri's voice snapped him from the thoughts, and the blonde realized that the rumbling stopped. "I stubbed my toe on a rock." The researcher turned around to see the man grinning. The rest of the group, save Repede, had stiffened at the tremor.

Rita was furious; Karol looked unsure; Estelle had yet to turn, but she spoke. "Yuri, you're mean…" Aster let out the breath that he had been holding. While it was somewhat mean for Yuri to have done that, it did lighten the mood a bit—even if it had almost given him a heart attack. The researcher pressed on to come in step with Rita. The girl didn't even look at him as she plodded stiffly onward. A soft chuckle escaped his lips. He wondered how long it would take until she would deign to speak to Yuri. He rounded the corner and stumbled over an upturned stone at the edge of the pathway. Aster was able to catch himself on the railing, and he noted with some dejection that no one had stopped to give him another glance. He shook his head and pushed himself on. They were probably still recovering from Yuri's prank.

Around the next corner, the group came to a gap that separated the pathway from a broad platform. In the back sat a stone contraption of some sort. It looked slightly humanoid in appearance, with two arms and legs. Any similarities to a human stopped there, however, as its proportions were much different. The arms stretched to the ground, and its chest was far broader. Its head seemed sightless and tiny, and the whole thing's stone gray form was in repose. The thick, club-like arms worried Aster. If the thing were to wake up and attack, one of those punches would break bones. That was, of course, guessing at the thing's mass, and assuming that the force would thus be enough to shatter a normal human's bones…

Rita punched him in the arm. "Hey!" She snapped. Aster flinched and let out a small gasp of pain. She had struck one of his burns, and that apple gel he had eaten yesterday was not going to halt the pain any longer. Expression set in a grimace, he blinked at her in confusion. "Stop staring at that thing and help out. If you're gonna be here, you might as well help us. There's a switch down the pathway that opens the bridge to that platform. Go hit it." She crossed her arms and glared at him. He rubbed his now very sore arm.

"I…can do that, I guess." The blonde frowned and turned to go find the switch. Yuri grabbed his burning arm and halted him.

"I'm not going to let either of you get out of eyesight. I'm going with you to make sure it's not a trap." The swordsman eyed Rita. "And I'm not leaving you with Estelle or the captain, so you're coming, too." Anger shot across the mage's face, but she complied without saying a word. Yuri let go of Aster, and the younger man stepped away to try to soothe his throbbing limb. "Now come on." A sigh, and Aster followed him. The sound of light footsteps came from behind—Rita was doing the same.

Estelle and Karol, both joined by Repede, watched the three go. The pink-haired girl seemed full of worry as she gave a little wave. "Be safe!" She called after them. Yuri replied back with a quick word of assurance as they headed into the darkness. Wait...

Alarms went off in Aster's head. Everywhere else they had gone, lights had illuminated at least a section of the area, so why did they not do the same now? His thoughts were too focused on the implications to hear Yuri ask Rita about the switch before him. The dark-clothed man pressed the switch, and a quiet hum surrounded the three of them.

Aster paled. Yuri was right. The sound of crunching stone began to accompany the hum as sentries of some sort broke free of the west wall. "What the-?!" He heard Yuri gasp, drawing his sword. The Aselian took a step back toward the other two.

It was a trap.

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**Stay tuned for next time in which there will be lots of action! Thank you all for sticking with me thus far; I really appreciate it and am glad that you all who like the fic are so far are enjoying it!**

******************Leave a review if you'd like; any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. If you do leave a review, I'll try my best so send you guys a short preview of the next chapter of the story. Unfortunately, guest reviews will not be able to receive these previews. Thank you for reading, and I hope you all stick with me for the next week!**


	6. Chapter 6 - Goliath

******A/N: Thanks as always to Alexandria Moon for editing and Saf Dawnheart for being my awesome idea-bouncer-offer and playthrough buddy!**

******Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Vesperia or it's characters or Aster or anything else I am forgetting. I only "own" the created personality and history for Aster and this rendition of this game's great story.**

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Chapter Six: Goliath

Four stone sentries came to life from the wall.

Yuri cursed. "Rita, let's take these three. Aster, take the last one if you can."

Aster drew the small knife at his side and nodded wordlessly. He doubted that he could do it. He was no fighter… Yuri sliced the side of the first stone golem, but his blade left only a small dent in the stony skin. He saw another one creep toward Rita and attracted its attention with a kick to its back. The ancient creature paused in its action and turned to the swordsman.

"Fire Ball!" Rita's voice cried out, and two balls of blistering heat smacked into the golem. Stone cracked to a greater degree than had the attacks from the sword. The attention of the creatures were redirected once more onto the mage, and it forced Yuri to move in front of her to stop their pursuit of her.

A punch from the fourth golem knocked the wind out of Aster and sent him sprawling to the ground. He moaned, lying still as the creature approached. His ribs and his arm now hurt greatly, but fear turned out to be a great motivator. He was just barely able to roll to the side and dodge the second punch that likely would have left a hole in his chest cavity. The blonde stood shakily and scanned his opponent. It looked almost exactly like a miniature version of the giant rock thing he had seen just a few minutes ago. It was taller than he was, if just by about half a foot. However, there was something metallic that stuck out from its shoulder. It looked relatively T-shaped with some sort of leathery grip on…was it a handle?

Another punch almost caught him by surprise, but this time, Aster dodged. '_Pay attention!_' He berated himself. He was getting too involved in analysis—this was not a field experiment. This was a battle; a matter of life or death! He sidestepped another slow strike—with the great weight of the creature's body, he assumed that the blows would be slow, but powerful; much like a heavy club. The golem pulled back its arm…and Aster struck. He stabbed with his knife at the creature, but he did not even manage to chip it. His foe turned quickly, and he was thrown off. This time he was thankfully not grounded. Another blow was aimed at him, and he dodged by taking a step back. His back collided with the wall, and the blonde winced. Now he had nowhere else to go, so all that was left was to attack again pointlessly.

…Or would it be that pointless? The handle protruding from the golem's shoulder still drew his attention. Something in the past had impaled the creature, so surely it would provide a weak spot? He jabbed around the handle, and tiny shards of rock came away. Metal gleamed, unearthed. A sword! Aster dropped the knife—it clattered to the floor—and grabbed the hilt of the sword. He pulled with all the strength he could muster.

The next attack from the golem was painful. The researcher from Sybak swore that he heard a crack as pain exploded from his chest. A spasm of pain weakened his fingers' grip on the weapon, but he refused to let go despite making any progress on loosening the blade from the golem.

He faintly heard a yell. The stone beneath the golem erupted upward suddenly and forced the thing back. The sheer force of the whiplash allowed the sword to slide free from its tough, hard form. Aster's legs gave out. Behind the creature, he could spot Yuri running toward him. Whether or not the golem knew it, Aster could not say. It drew its arm back for the finishing blow. A last burst of adrenaline surged forth, and Aster thrust the sword into the large crack created when the thing had been pushed back. Finally, something seemed effective. It stopped the golem from attacking, and Yuri sliced it a few times before the golem crumbled to pieces.

Aster closed his eyes and coughed, which only served to put him in more pain. "Kid! …Aster!" At the sound of his name, he opened his eyes. "Stay with us. Estelle will fix you up." The blonde nodded, eyes closing again. It was such an effort to keep them open… Everything hurt…

Someone gasped. "What happened?! Hang in there! I'll heal you!" He felt a soothing warmth that sapped away all of his pain. Then, he found, it did not take as much effort to open his eyes again. He was on his back, and Estelle was sitting beside him with her hand on his chest. She glanced at him, and smiled in relief. "Oh, good, you're okay! We were all really worried." Someone snorted, and Estelle's face fell. "Well, most of us were worried. You broke some of your ribs, but I fixed them, I think… You'll just have to take it easy so that they finish healing. You'll still be really weak, I'm afraid." Her hands shifted to be around his neck and shoulders.

"Where did you get these burns...? They all looked pretty recent. Well, I'll hea-" Aster shook his head. They had hurt, but he did not think they were worth worrying about.

"You need your energy." He whispered. "It'd be better if you saved it for if someone else gets into a bad place." The noblewoman opened her mouth to argue, but Aster shook his head again. "Please."

Estelle appeared rather crestfallen that she was not being allowed to aid him further with her powers. However, she did reach into a small satchel and pull out a small, red glob that Aster knew would smell faintly of apples. Without a word, he accepted the apple gel and popped it into his mouth. His lips twitched into a smile of thanks, and her mood lightened.

"How long was I out?" The blonde dared to ask. He remembered snatches of images and dialogue, but his mind was muddled about the details.

"In and out," Yuri responded, meeting Aster's eyes. "You're pretty resilient for someone who seems like you've never fought." He glanced at Rita. "Miss Genius Mage over there seemed pretty used to it."

"I practice my magic a lot." The brunette replied as she looked around the area. "Many other researchers don't, since they prefer just sitting around with their noses in books all day."

Yuri listened, thoughtful. "So, Aster's one of them, huh?" Rita snorted and shook her head vehemently.

"No, he's not even one of us. He's just a nobody that I found the other day in the forest." The Aselian flinched. For once, her words were not laced with antagonism. She probably did not know what else to say. It still hurt, though he could not really deny her words. He _was_ no one here, whether he liked it or not. Someday, that would change, but he first needed to learn more of this world. That meant getting done here and moving on. He remained silent and pushed ahead of the others.

As he crossed the bridge, an ill feeling washed over Aster. Many lights had been lit around the area, carefully illuminating every smallest detail of the massive figure before him. Something about it bothered him, but he figured it may have been the similarity to the small golems that he, Rita, and Yuri had fought earlier. He had thought that the group was the only ones who were here, but so many things screamed that someone else had been there before them. Could Yuri be right that this _was_ a trap Rita had set?

No, why suspect her? She had expressed her strong dislike of him (many times) and the others, but she had still saved his life, and that had to mean something. He _knew_ that Stone Blast was hers. Whatever else she was, Rita was trustworthy in that regard. Still, a flicker of suspicion refused to dissipate, and it turned his stomach. Despite everything else, she did not deserve it.

He had thought the same of others, too.

Karol startled him a few moments later. "H-hey! What's wrong?" Wide-eyed, Aster turned to him. The young boy frowned. "You looked...kinda angry for a second. Is...is something wrong?" Aster blinked, unclenched his hands from fists, and shook his head.

"No, I was just thinking. These lights... Rita, they can't turn on on their own, can they?" He cast his gaze toward the mage, who confirmed what he had assumed with the shake of her head. "Someone's been here before us, then, haven't they?" Yuri's eyes hardened.

Rita nodded, ignoring the swordsman's changing expression. "Yeah. I bet it's some of the idiots I saw here last time. Anyway, I want to check out that blastia." She pointed up at the stony structure that worried Aster.

"Wait, _this_ is why you brought us here?!" To Aster, it sounded almost as if Yuri did not know whether to be incredulous or angry.

The brunette shrugged nonchalantly. "Pretty much."

"What about the thieves we're after, then?"

The girl shrugged again. "Not really my problem. Still, I figured that there would be a good chance that they're still here." She did not even look away from the stone she was approaching. "Isn't that right?" The blonde saw something shift in the shadowed terrace above and behind the apparent statue.

"H-how did you know I was here?" Someone stammered—male, not confident, quiet.

"Well, as that guy..." She indicated Aster with a quick glance. "...said, these lights were on ahead of us, and I certainly did not turn them on myself. So, someone else had to be in here that both has a Sorcerer's Ring—which I assume you guys somehow have—and has enough knowledge of these ruins to set that trap back there. Who are you?"

There was silence for a time—probably the time it took for the man to come up with a lie. In the darkness, Aster thought he saw another person's silhouette, but a moment later it was gone. "I-I'm just a blastia researcher from...from Aspio!"

Yuri nearly snorted. "That sounded convincing."

"I could pull it off better," Aster offered.

"Not really," Rita grumbled. She finally looked up into the terrace. "But who are you, really, huh?"

A long pause filled the air. Finally, the faceless man replied in a rush: "I'm from Aspio, I told you! Wh-who are you?"

A smile crossed Rita's face, much to Aster's confusion. "That just gave you away. You're not from Aspio if you don't recognize me." The skittish figure gave no further reply to her words.

The shadows in the terrace shifted. Aster spotted another figure—he was right!—move to the edge and peer down at them. The blonde squinted and noticed a smirk across the face of the newcomer. No other features were distinguishable besides a dark, hooded cloak that wrapped the rest of individual's face in darkness. "Rita Mordio, supposed 'genius.' Aspio's outcast." Male; seeming to know Rita from somewhere rather than just by name. This newcomer's voice was dark, deep, and cold. It embodied what the researcher thought a hard, relentless winter might sound like if given voice.

The words had an instantaneous effect on Rita. Every muscle in her body became stiff, and as the blonde glanced at her, he saw glints of fear in her eyes. Her hands became fists.

"You're...!" No complete thought could escape her, but a gasp certainly did. Questions soared through Aster's mind. Who was this person she recognized that he would render her silent, angry, and somewhat afraid? This Rita was very uncharacteristic of the little he had learned of her; how did she turn into this? Why did this guy call her a "supposed" genius and outcast both?

Why was it that she was scared, anyway? On the surface, she seemed simply angry, but the way her arms shook, and the look in her eyes wove a different tale.

This character, perhaps from Rita's past, moved smoothly toward the back of the stone giant. He pulled out a gemlike sphere and slammed it into the back of the great statue's head. A flash, and ethereal structures—controls, perhaps?—appeared around what Aster assumed to be a blastia. The man entered a command and the controls vanished.

Low rumbling startled Aster, but the sound and the shaking seemed to affect Karol the most. The boy let out a cry, and Repede began to growl. Chuckling, their adversary began to step back into the darkness. "First the knights came, but they were gnats, and cast away. But you...kids...are another breed. Still insignificant, but potentially more annoying. Good bye, _dearest_ Rita. I don't expect to see you again." The shadows engulfed his form and he disappeared. Aster did not hear them, though he suspected that both faceless men had already left the area.

Karol was the first of the group to move. He dashed toward the bridge, but jolted backward. Repede barked and raced to the boy. "Th-the bridge is...!" Aster turned and watched the remnants of the bridge crumble into the depths of the water below. "W-we're trapped, guys!" The brown-haired youth stammered, the perspiration on his face glimmering in the lamplight. Worrisome, but the least of the blonde's concerns.

The great statue-golem shifted from its state of repose to loom threateningly over them. Aster fumbled for his knife, only to find that it was not there. He felt something else poke at his side. He turned, and Yuri offered him the sword he had recovered earlier from the markedly smaller golem. It was now resting uncomfortably in a spare sheath. "Don't go on the offensive," Yuri advised. "Just protect Estelle and Karol. I'll take that thing down."

The blonde closed his eyes for a moment and nodded. "Okay, I will. Be careful, Yuri." The dark-haired swordsman's reply was a smirk. Aster watched him race toward the creature—Goliath seemed a proper name for it, really. Yuri hacked at the giant golem with his sword, but it did not appear to deal any damage. Aster assumed there might have been a chip of damage, but there was no such thing visible from his location.

"Hey!" Rita shouted. "Be careful, you idiot! I still want to study it!" Unfortunately, she seemed more interested in doing that than getting ready for a possible fight, and it looked more interested in smashing her into the floor than letting itself be the object of study. She watched the goliath withdraw an arm and thrust it at Yuri. (Yuri dodged.) She only began mumbling something under her breath. Her attention, however, was focused on the creature's back and on the blastia that pulsated there. Aster discerned "the Anima formula..." from her babble, but nothing more.

She did not notice it turn on her—at least, not in a way that made her realize that she should move. There was a low rumble, and the enormous golem threw a punch at the mage. The words to scream for her to move caught in Aster's throat. He did not want to watch her life get snuffed out, but he could not tear away his gaze. There was not anything he could do to help.

Aster felt a tiny, minute shift in the air; he did not realize right away that it was actually a shift in the aer around them. It was, after all, the first time he had been so close to someone manipulating the aer and at a time when he was aware enough to feel it. A couple of feet behind him, Estelle called out in a strong, determined voice: "Barrier!" The blow that should have killed Rita was blunted by the sudden appearance of a force field around her. The attack shattered the shield, and the force of it knocked the brunette to the ground. Aster ran to her side, a chill sweeping through him. He could not have done anything to save her. He doubted that even a shouted warning would have allowed her the time to move. He would not have considered any of them friends as of yet (or, he noted sadly, they did not consider _him_ a friend), but he wanted no harm to come to them. Rita did not appear hurt, but was dazed. The spell gave Aster a fierce admiration of Estelle's abilities. The noblewoman was quick, and she did not seem to crack under pressure. He wondered if he would have been able to do the same if he had possessed similar powers.

"Come on, Rita." The blonde offered her his hand. "To your feet." She glowered at it and scowled, but she took it regardless. Aster helped her up and held tightly onto her hand as she tried to slip free from his grip. "You've got to help us, Rita. We need to stop it so we can get out of here."

"But, I...I've almost got it worked out! Just a bit longer, and..." A crash interrupted her words as the stone monster slammed its fists into the ground where Yuri had been a moment before. Aster quickly shoved Rita back, threw an arm around her and positioned himself before her. Bits of stone and dust struck his back, coloring his white coat a duller shade. He had not even noticed the exact proximity of the monster in his haste to pull Rita away. The researcher grimaced. He had to be more careful!

Yuri stepped next to them as Rita pushed Aster away from her. "We don't have the time," The swordsman growled, his gaze stuck onto their foe. A small red line marked the side of his face where a sharp piece of debris must have nicked him.

"Yuri's right," Aster agreed. Rita glared at him for the nth time that day. He rolled his eyes. Now was not the time for this! "Come on!" The girl made a noise of intense frustration, but she readied her—belt? Was that a belt? That was definitely a belt, but why a belt—she readied the piece of apparel and began to twirl it around her. Ghostly lines appeared, following the path of her belt. The lines condensed into a net of red-colored light. The blastia in her necklace glowed softly. "Fireball!" She spat, and three balls of flame the size of a head raced toward the goliath.

It had disappointingly little effect.

Rita growled, and the blastia's glow intensified. In an instant, three fireballs twice the size of the previous ones appeared. These had no more of an effect than the smaller ones had before them. The brunette's eyes widened; the crystal's shimmer snuffed out like a candle.

"Wh-what...?" Her breaths were deep, like she was drained of energy. Did blastia use drain the user so quickly? Or, perhaps it was only pushing them into overdrive that did it. Karol ran toward them, similarly out of breath.

"Guys!" He stopped before them and hunched over as he caught his breath. "O-our attacks aren't doing _anything_!"

"Thank you, Captain. Now that you see that, what would you recommend?" Yuri drawled. Even in battle, he had a quip at the ready.

"Um, I, uh...I don't know!" Karol slumped. "Maybe, uh..."

Another rumble startled Aster.

"Scatter!" He cried out. The goliath, now recovered from its last attempt, readied another attack. Thankfully, everyone listened to Aster's sudden cry, and they separated. The attack that could have hit all of them in a single blow only struck air and stone.

"Yuri, I have an idea!" Estelle called from near the bridge. She had held back and kept an eye on the rest of the group. After seeing how little the rest were doing in melee combat with the creature, she had decided that she was most useful in the back, supporting everyone and hopefully keeping them alive. "_Strength, dwell in this blade,_" Energy began to coalesce around their weapons. "Sharpness!" The energy then spread out and covered the weapons in a faint red. Aster decided not to poke the blade of his sword and test out the magical enhancement. He rather preferred to not bleed to death from his finger.

Yuri grinned. "I like your thinking, Estelle!" He brandished his sword and dashed at the enormous golem. "Hey, big guy! Let's see how you like...this!" The swordsman lashed out, and this time, he managed to cut out small chunks of rock. It was progress, but Aster feared that everyone would be worn out before they even got close to felling the thing.

Could they destroy the blastia, instead? It was so high up, but if they could reach it and destroy it, the goliath would be put out of commission. With Sharpened weapons, it was surely plausible. Of course, Rita would get angry... Was it their only choice?

Karol joined Yuri's attacks with a renewed energy and hope, but he was the one tiring quickest. Repede made quick precise slices, but his attacks were not the strongest, and unfortunately the dog did not receive the best results. Yuri's energy seemed endless at this point, but Aster was sure that even he would tire soon enough. Estelle and Rita were taking the roles of spellcasters, so the new power would not help them.

And what was he doing still standing here?

He blinked. No matter. The blastia was their target. "Knock it down!" He shouted. "Destroy the blastia!" He made a point to dash in at those words so that he would not see the rage on Rita's face or, well, he would not put it past her to start flinging Fireballs at _him_ for saying that. His brain did not register the words in the air, but a pale blue barrier flickered into life around him. A small smile appeared on his face and he swung as hard as he could at the goliath's foot. To his delight, he achieved at least the same effect as Yuri. From their efforts, small cracks became visible in the stone foot like veins. A rush of adrenaline and excitement surged through him, and he took another shot.

But blinded by the rush of combat as he was, he did not realize that the dull intelligence of the creature focused onto him, the insignificant human attacking it so brashly. It stiffened, a space in its chest cavity opening. A light appeared and began to swell. Aster finally paused as he felt the temperature around him rise. He looked up to see—_the ball of mana approaching—_the glow increase exponentially. He took a few steps back and turned to run, but he was not fast enough to escape it.

A laser shot from its middle.

Estelle gasped. "Aster, no! Please, _O enduring protection_, Barrier!" Rita's eyes shot to her as the healer's powers formed another, more powerful shield around Aster. Despite its sturdiness, it shattered almost instantly under the force of the beam. Yuri pushed Karol forward and began his attack with increased fury on the back of the goliath's legs. Repede assisted him, and eventually the young guildsman did as well.

The second barrier, the one that Estelle had gifted Aster with before he entered combat, cracked much like the other. Rita's froze in disbelief.

Yuri and the other melee fighters, on the other hand, were met with success. Larger cracks snaked up the creature's left leg, spreading and spreading and fanning out into the body of the golem until it collapsed under its own weight. It slammed with a mighty thud against the wall and the terrace where the disappeared "Aspions" had stood. The area of impact crumbled, but the rest remained intact.

The laser faded. All that remained from it was the black on the wall and floor. Yuri did not wait to investigate Aster's fate. He began climbing the side of the monster until he reached the blastia. He hoisted his blade and stabbed down. He closed his eyes to shield them from the fragments of crystal that erupted from the blastia. The goliath shuddered and was still.

"Aster!" Estelle broke into a run to reach the researcher's side. He was lying on his back, breathing heavily. He was battered and bruised, but alive. The blastia necklace lay visible to the world upon his chest, its core glowing bright like a star. As she approached, it began to dim. "You're okay!" She laughed and clasped her hands together. "I'm so relieved!" Yuri hefted his blade over his shoulder and sauntered over.

"Well, kid, you're definitely more resilient than you look." Even Yuri was smiling, much to the weary blonde's surprise. It was contagious, however, and Aster found himself smiling in return.

"I have a name..." He muttered weakly. The swordsman's face split into an even wider grin, and he put out his hand. Aster raised his own shaking hand to take it, and Yuri pulled him to his feet.

"You going to be okay on your own?" He asked. Aster hesitated. His back ached—actually, the sensation was much closer to a large, ugly bruise being hit constantly—but he smiled. He had been pelted by debris earlier and suffered the impact of slamming into the ground, but he had definitely had worse. Really, the thing that worried him most was the pervading weakness throughout his body that made his legs shake and his eyes and his head feel like lead. Honestly, he had thought that his death was eminent (again) when Estelle's barriers around him fell, but something flashed. Something activated a third barrier that absorbed the remainder of the impact, but he didn't...

He blinked. A thought came to him, and Aster fumbled under his shirt for his necklace. Finally, upon realizing where it was (not hidden, as he had kept it before), he grabbed Bartholomew and yanked up to eye level. Sure enough, the blastia was glowing. Was protecting their user one of their many powers, then? Fascinating...

His eyes lit up with curiosity. He would have to ask Rita for more information later; he had to know more! By description, they seemed almost frighteningly similar to exspheres, and those were disturbing to say the least. And yet, mana did not exist in this world, so there was no way that they could be created by feeding off of a person, surely. An investigation would be necessary—at least when he had the free time.

"Hey, kid! ...Aster!" The researcher blinked again, coming back to reality. He peered up at Yuri in confusion. The man sighed, cupping his brow in between the thumb and forefinger of his hand. "I asked if you could stand on your own."

Aster's smile turned sheepish. "Oh, sorry, Yuri. I was just thinking..." Yuri stared at him, awaiting a proper answer. "I believe I'll be fine, thank you." The swordsman nodded, parting from his side. Aster's legs shook again, but they did not crumble beneath his weight, so that was something. He gazed tiredly at the aftermath of the battle: sunken—by the force of that beam, to be sure—but intact stone tiles littered the area directly around him. There were other sections of the platform where the rock was chipped, and then there were areas where whole fist-sized fragments has been rent from. Debris littered the entire area, and a thin veil of dust—the blonde coughed; definitely dust—blanketed everything. The deactivated golem was slumped on its side, a foot missing and its head resting on the side of the upper terrace wall.

"Everyone else...they're okay, right?" Aster asked softly. It was a stupid question; he could see Rita examining the giant golem's "corpse", Karol sitting off to the side and resting, and Repede at his master's side. Of course, Yuri and Estelle were before him. The only real visible harm he could see was the cut on Yuri's cheek, though the blonde was sure that Rita's back might feel similarly to his own. (But to a lesser extent, of course, thankfully. He would do it all again in a heartbeat if it kept the others safe.)

"Yes, of course!" Estelle replied. "You took the brunt of it, really. Do you need any healing? Is your back all right?" She stepped closer to him, the sheer intensity of her worried gaze forcing him to take a step back.

"Ah... No, no, I-I'm fine! Just, uh, a bit tired, really. That's all." Aster lied. Understatement of the year, really. He was more than a bit tired, and his back felt like it was on fire—well, no, that was not quite an accurate statement, seeing as though he knew what that actually felt like. He knew he would be fine, but he would suffer back pains for a while. Honestly, he was surprised it did not pain him any more than it did, what with the bur—

The Aselian sighed. Other than the bruising and the pain, there was just an itchy, mild annoyance on his skin where he had suffered burns. The pink-haired noble must have healed them some before she had even asked about them.

Regardless, Estelle did not seem to pick up on his lie. (Yuri did, and the swordsman cast him a questioning glance. Aster offered a small smile, and the oldest member of their group rolled his eyes.) She turned to Yuri. "Yuri, let me see that cut." The dark-garbed man seemed somewhat surprised.

"Huh? Oh, that. It's fine, Estelle, really. Don't worry about it." The healer frowned. She put a gentle hand on his cheek near the cut and stared straight into Yuri's eyes.

"It's not okay! What if it gets infected?" A faint glow was cast around her fingertips as the cut faded and only the drying blood remained.

"Sheesh, Estelle, it's like you're my mother." Yuri muttered. Estelle blushed, drawing her hand back. Aster chuckled; it was true. By what he had seen of her so far, the young woman seemed very protective when someone was hurt. It would be very accurate to say that she was overly concerned.

"W-well, I... I just don't like to see any of you hurt." She insisted. Yuri ran a hand through his hair and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Isn't that the truth..." He took a deep breath and began walking toward the others in the group. "Come on; we have to catch up to those guys before they're long gone."

Karol went wide-eyed. "Wha? But...but we just got done beating that thing!"

Yuri sighed. "Fine. Wait here; I'm going to see if I can catch them before they leave the ruins. It seems like they wouldn't be in a big rush to leave since that giant was supposed to do us in." He ran toward the aforementioned giant and began to climb.

Aster watched him climb for a few moments. "Yuri, wait!" He finally called out. The swordsman stopped, but did not look back at him. "I...I would like to come, too, if it's all right. I felt helpless against the goliath—that golem—and I want to help. Please." Yuri started climbing again. The blonde sighed, assuming that that meant no. However, much to his surprise, once Yuri reached the top he turned around and eyed the researcher. He shrugged.

"If you're up to it. Just don't slow us down too much."

Aster beamed, happy to (maybe) be able to provide some real assistance. "I won't slow you down; I swear it!" He moved as quickly as he could to start climbing up the inactive mosnter, but his muscles ached, and the strength was not there. He placed a hand above his head, onto the body of the conquered creature, closed his eyes, and sighed. A warm sensation originating near his throat spread through his body, and suddenly the energy was there. Aster opened his eyes and grabbed Bartholomew. The blastia was warm. "Such a strange, but useful thing." he murmured, and began the ascent.

"Don't you dare think to leave me behind for this!" Rita. She placed her hands on her hips and stalked toward them. "I won't let those jerks get away, and..." She fixated Aster with a dagger-sharp glare. "_You_... How _dare_ you suggest to destroy that poor blastia like that?! If only you," She scowled at Yuri now. "had waited, I could have deactivated him!"

"We didn't have the time. Aster was right in saying that." The blonde felt a wave of gratitude for the words. "But, anyway, if you have to come with us, then come on." As Aster neared the top, Yuri offered a hand to help him reach the terrace. It was accepted with no small amount of surprise. Back at the base of the creature, Rita made a huffing noise and began the climb.

Estelle was next in line. Yuri placed a hand on his brow and sighed. "You want to come, too?" He asked. She smiled.

"Of course, Yuri! We're with you. We don't want them to get away, either!" Eventually, all but Repede and Karol had made it to the terrace with Yuri's assistance. Karol remained where he had settled after the fight and looked up at the group. The dog bowed his head and began nudging him to his feet.

"H-hey! Wait, what about resting for a bit, guys?! Come on!" Despite his complaints, he started walking as Repede headbutted him along. Yuri shot him a grin.

"Well, Captain Karol, it looks like we don't have time for a break. We can do that when our business here is finished." The boy moaned in reply. Repede leaped onto the terrace and watched the boy carefully. Once it seemed that he would be all right, the dog returned to Yuri's side. The swordsman bent down and offered the boy a hand. Karol took it and was yanked up. "Let's go, then." Yuri led them around the corner, slid down a smooth, steep slope and led them back the way they came.

* * *

They found one of the men near the collapsed old bridge, kneeling and nursing his wounded leg. Rita rushed to him and impaled him with the daggers that were her eyes. "Where did Trinn go?" She demanded.

The man, whom Aster could now only feel pity for, flinched. "G-gone..." He stammered. "I...I don't know where. He never really said."

"You think I'm gonna believe that?!" The brunette's voice grew in volume. She seemed about ready to strike him or, Aster noted with another twinge of sympathy, even Fireball him. Even if this guy was not the...most stellar of characters, there was no point in severely hurting him. The blonde frowned and moved between them.

"Rita, he might be telling the truth. Just because you don't like what he's saying does not make it wrong." Her green eyes blazed—he noted a bit of that same fear as before, but it faded quickly as he became her new target. She lashed out with a fist before he could even blink. It connected with his cheek as he turned his head. Pain flared up from his face; definitely a blow to leave a mark...

"Shut up. What would you know?" Aster closed his eyes. Not enough about this world, or, maybe even people... But no; most people were good, weren't they? They just often happened to lash out because of fear or anger or...

Rita had seemed scared by something earlier when Trinn showed up, and now when there was the mention of his name. It was clear as day that she had known him; what happened between them? "I'd like to think I know at least some things." His response was soft, and he met her eyes steadily. She glowered at him, but he was not the first to look away.

The nameless man shifted uncomfortably. "I am telling the truth, I swear..." He mumbled. "Wh-when I fell and twisted my ankle, Trinn left me. I really shouldn't have taken the job..."

Before Rita could interject anything else, Yuri took over. "What job? Did you have a part in steal the lower quarter's blastia?"

"No, n-not...not quite. I didn't do it, but Trinn..."

Yuri's eyes darkened. "Trinn did it, then."

"Y-yes, b-but...he wasn't alone! I mean, he was the one who fixed the core, and took it, but then he delivered it to another, and..."

The swordsman grabbed the front of the man's cloak and pulled him close. He whimpered as his foot bounced against the rock. "Who? Give me names!"

"D-Dedecchi! H-he's the one that Trinn gave it to, and he went to deliver it to the client." Yuri continued to stare at the man. "I-I don't know the name of the client! I saw him only once, at a distance. He's huge; a bruiser sort of guy with a scar on his right cheek and an eye missing!" This information seemed to satisfy Yuri some, though he did not release the informant.

"Where is this Dedecchi meeting this guy?" Yuri asked.

"T-Torim Harbor! I don't know anything else! Please...please let me go!" He did, and the man fell to the floor. "Dealing with all of this really isn't worth the pay..." The man grumbled. "First I dealt with the knights, and now you guys..." The word 'knight' visibly piqued Estelle's interest. Aster watched her approach the man slowly and kneel beside him.

"Knight? Was Flynn here, then? Was he okay?"

The man looked up irritably at her. "Yeah, that's the guy! It took forever to get rid of him! He and the other knights went back to Aspio already." The noblewoman looked crestfallen, while Rita appeared pensive.

"Flynn's your friend that you mentioned yesterday, isn't he?" Aster asked the healer quietly. She nodded. "I guess we missed him on the way over here, huh? Well, maybe he'll still be in Aspio?"

She brightened a bit and nodded. "Yes, I hope so!" While they were chatting, Yuri picked the man up again and hit him in the back of the head, knocking him out. "Yuri?"

"We'll take him with us. Maybe we can get more info out of him, and then we can leave him with the authorities in Aspio. We should get going so that we can reach the city before it gets too late." At that, Aster wondered just how long they had been within the ruins. There were still traces of natural light coming into the area, so that meant it was still day, at least. Yet he also wondered if they all really had the energy to keep moving. Yuri seemed never to run out of energy at this point, but the blonde could not help but wonder if it was because of blastia. After all, that bangle on his wrist held a gem that seemed very similar to Bartholomew.

"But, Yuri...I'm tired!" Karol cried. "Can't we rest some first?" Rita hit him. "Oww! What was that for?!"

"I actually agree with you, Yuri. There's some things I really want to look into at Aspio, and I'd rather get there sooner than later." She said.

Yuri nodded. "It's settled, then. Come on." He slung the man over his shoulder and started up the slope toward the entrance. Everyone, even the slumping Karol, followed. Questions and questions; always questions, and none of them seemed to have an answer.

* * *

******************Leave a review if you'd like; any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. If you do leave a review, I'll try my best so send you guys a short preview of the next chapter of the story. Unfortunately, guest reviews will not be able to receive these previews. Thank you for reading, and I hope you all stick with me for the next week!**


	7. Chapter 7 - Beginnings

******A/N: Sorry for the lateness; I made a note of it in my profile, but due to school I've been unable to work too much on this. Alas, I will be lowering the frequency of updates to once every three weeks. Depending on things, however, there is the slight chance I can get an early update in here and there!**

******Thanks as always to Alexandria Moon for editing and Saf Dawnheart for being my awesome idea-bouncer-offer and playthrough buddy!**

******Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Vesperia or it's characters or Aster or anything else I am forgetting. I only "own" the created personality and history for Aster and this rendition of this game's great story.**

* * *

Chapter 7: Beginning

_The last few days have definitely been eventful. We conquered the Shaikos Ruins and, more importantly, proved Rita's innocence (and mine, I suppose). Everyone parted ways with us just a few minutes ago; guess they wanted to get some sleep and move out early in the morning to continue their journey. Estelle still needs to find her friend Flynn and Yuri will keep chasing after that_

Here, Aster put down his pen. How did one spell "aque blastia" anyway? If it were up to him, he would say A-Q-U-A, but aer was spelled differently than air. The blonde shrugged and continued writing.

_blastia. Karol's apparently going to lead them there, but I would venture a guess to say that he will be the one doing the following instead. _

_As for myself, I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do. For now, I guess I'll stay here in Aspio. It seems this place plays a similar role in Terca Lumireis as Sybak did in Tethe'alla, so perhaps I will study here. At least, I might try to learn more about this world and maybe I can find a way back home. That is, of course, if there even _is_ a way back. I honestly don't find it very likely._

_I have been doing a lot of thinking. I miss Sybak and Richter and Rilena and everyone back at home. I miss traveling the world to find out more about Ratatosk and, well, I even wish that we could do it all over again. At the least, I would know what I am doing rather than just bumbling about here and feeling entirely like a fool. Is there really a reason why I am here? I did die. I know I did._

Aster shook his head and sighed. No, no more writing for now if that was how his words would flow. Instead, He turned to the top of the journal entry and began to scribble in the margins. Before long, he realized that his scribbles became sketches of his two closest friends. He could still remember how Rilena looked when she bid he and Richter off to find the Ginnungagap, and he could never forget Richter. After all, they had been the best of friends for at least six years. The researcher exhaled and moved his hand down the page as if starting a new paragraph. Instead, he began to sketch some of the monsters he had seen in Terca Lumireis so far. Once he was satisfied with how they looked compared to their appearance in his mind's eye, Aster began to label them as "_unknown creatures of _" He decided that he would write in the continent's name later—once he actually knew how to spell it.

He then returned to making a journal entry.

_I have been sorely tempted to join Yuri, Estelle, Karol, and Repede. Still, what help would I be able to supply them? I was not much use at the ruins and I bet that I might end up putting one of their lives in danger because of my combat inadequacy. If I remained with Rita, surely I can eventually learn enough and assist her in her experiments. She seems lonely._

Upon looking up once more from the paper, Aster spotted Rita reading something. She flipped through a page almost angrily, a neutral expression on her face. He knew that she would never admit to it, but she was disappointed at the others' departure. She would miss them, and, the Aselian realized with a pang of sadness, so would he. Yuri's group was a lively one, and Aster had enjoyed their quest in the ruins to discover the truth of the blastia thieves—even if he had near-death experiences.

"You think we should join them?" He asked. Rita tore her eyes from her book and stared at him.

"What?" Aster offered an apologetic smile. It had come out of nowhere, hadn't it?

"The others. Join their group, I mean."

Shaking her head, the mage returned to her book. "Why? So you can try to get yourself killed again?" Was she going to keep reminding him of that? He already knew he was a poor fighter, but she insisted on rubbing salt in the wounds.

"No, of course not." He replied evenly. "Just, you know, I thought that you at least could help them out."

"And why would I want to help them? I didn't even get to finish studying the anima formula because of you all!"

"Then why not go because you enjoy the company?" She looked up again, stunned.

"What?! Th-that's the most idiotic reason to go!" She insisted. "I don't need anyone! After all, I have my blastia, and they won't betray me." This time, it was Aster's turn to be dumbfounded. Betray her? Is _that_ what she was concerned about? The whole time everyone else had held her under suspicion, she thought that one of them would hurt _her_?

"I-I'm sorry." Aster stammered. Had she been hurt in the past by someone? If so, then who? "But, Rita, I don't think any of us would have betrayed you." Hot green eyes glowered at him, but she remained silent. "And besides, maybe traveling with them will provide you with another opportunity to learn your, uh, anima formula." He relaxed when he saw her gaze soften.

"Shut up." Her heart was not in those words; there was no angry fire in her eyes or sharp tone in her voice. All he heard was defeat. She slammed shut the book she was reading and began to ascend the ladder. The blonde watched her leave, a bit let down. At the least, he would make himself ready to leave if she changed her mind. He hoped that she would.

Aster shook his head and resumed writing.

_If we do accompany them in their journey, I will need to do something about my fighting skills—or, rather, the lack thereof. Perhaps Yuri would teach me? He seems skilled, though I'm not sure whether or not he would have the patience. At least I'm a quick learner. Usually. _

The researcher put his pen down and picked up a tome that lay on the top of one of the book piles. It was thick, with a large runic symbol adorning the cover. Words in the unfamiliar alphabet were strewn at the top, and two were on the bottom—perhaps the author's name? The blonde humored his curiosity by opening the book and turning to a random page. More unknown words rested there along with some diagrams. Bits of text highlighted some of the details in the diagram, and Aster focused on those. In the first part of the diagram, one word popped up numerous times. He recognized a few characters from Karol's map and scanned the page for any words he could piece together with the few letters he knew.

Eventually, his eyes became strained from staring at the pages for so long, and he closed the book. Aster was relatively sure that he had worked out at least a few more letters, though there were more still that continued to evade his understanding. He could not help but smile; soon he would be able to actually read some of these books and he would know more about the world.

A yawn escaped him. Was he getting that tired already? But surely he had not spent that long deciphering the alphabet? He could not tell what time of day it was since Aspio was within a cavern, but it was surely late. Aster set the book back where he had found it and found his way to the spot he had slept the last time he was here. He removed his coat and hung it on some apparatus before laying down on the (hard, cold, not very comfortable) floor. It was not the worst place he had ever slept, but that did not quite make it good. He closed his eyes with a yawn and eventually felt his consciousness slip away.

A throb of pain on his side woke him hours later. His muscles, sore from the battle with the goliath and the yesterday's travel, groaned as he sat up. Rita stood over him, an inaudible mumble tumbling from her mouth. Her hands were on her hips and a scowl was plastered across her face. "What's wrong?" Aster groaned. What was it he did to elicit her wrath _this_ time?

"Get up," She said simply, her tone brooking no argument. A brown leather satchel of who-knows-what was fastened to her waist. "We're leaving." Slowly, he clambered to his feet and retrieved his coat from where he had hung it the night before. The mage began tapping her foot steadily, her gaze never leaving him. With what seemed to be the thousandth sigh that week, Aster shrugged on the coat. He did not even bother to straighten it before grabbing his sword and giving her a curt nod.

Aster almost walked straight into the door once Rita shut it in his face. He shook himself and followed her outside. "You're almost like a zombie. Are you always this bad in the morning?"

He smiled good-naturedly. "No, I just didn't get too much sleep last night. That's all." She shrugged and began heading off to the west side of Aspio. He figured that he could not do much but follow.

The cavern was cold this morning. Had he not been wearing long sleeves and his coat, Aster was sure he would have shivered at least once or twice. Rita pushed past a couple of scholars in the center of town who were chatting excitedly about some theory of formulaic efficiency. They shot her a glower; Aster apologized with a quiet word. They turned away, muttering as he hurried to catch up to Rita.

The pair entered the library, Rita single-mindedly pursuing her goal while Aster was content to take in the columns of bookshelves. He did not even notice her stop and so he bumped into her. "Hey, watch it!" She hissed quietly. He murmured a response that she did not even seem to hear. She handed the Fortune's Market clerk a small pouch of gald and received a few gels and some food in turn. She slipped them into her bag, slid the bag off her shoulder, and then handed it to him. He stared at it a few moments before understanding. "At least make yourself useful if you _have_ to go with us." A flash of annoyance flit across his face as he accepted it, but he said nothing. He would just have to prove himself to her and ev-

Aster stopped. Rita had said "with us." He found a smile spreading across his face. So, she did mean to travel with the others! With his mood sufficiently lifted, he nodded.

They found the others resting in a corner near the other library entrance. All of them were asleep save for Repede, whose one good eye watched them approach. A soft growl escaped his throat, and Yuri's eyes snapped open. He drew an inch of steel, but relaxed upon seeing who had come. His expression begged the question: Why were they here? Aster jerked his shoulder to indicate the bag he was carrying. The swordsman nodded and secured his sword in the sheath. He placed a hand on Estelle's shoulder and shook her softly. "Estelle," he whispered.

The noble's eyes fluttered open. "Mm...Yuri? Is something wrong?"

He shook his head. "No, but we have some company." Estelle's eyes widened into alertness. She turned her head quickly to see who it was. She gasped, and the blonde did not think that there was any way that her smile could get wider.

"Rita, Aster! I'm so glad you came! Are you two coming with us, after all?" They nodded. Aster was proven wrong; she looked even more pleased than before. "Oh, this will be so much fun! I've never had friends around my own age before!"

Somehow, with her voice nearing normal volume, Karol managed to remain out like a light. He mumbled in his sleep and turned over. "Shouldn't someone wake him?" Aster suggested. Yuri shook his head.

"No, let him sleep. We still have to buy supplies and food." In response, Aster opened Rita's satchel and revealed its contents: A few day's worth of food and gels, along with plenty of rocks—err, blastia. "Oh, I guess we don't, then. Thanks, kid."

The researcher ignored the nickname. "Rita was the one who got them. Thank her."

Rita looked away. "I-I just wanted to hurry up and get moving. I want to take a look at Halure's tree, and I figured that we were all going the same direction." Yuri raised his eyebrow but did not comment. He woke the brown-haired youth with a firm shake.

"H-huh? Wha...is it time to go already?" Karol did not even notice Rita and Aster standing there. Apparently not a morning person, the blonde noted. "Wah! Rita, why are you here?!" The mage sniffed.

"Because I'm coming, too, you idiot." The two youngest members of their group (Repede excluded) had argued quite a bit on the way back from the ruins. It had been both amusing and tiring to watch, and Aster dearly hoped that they would not have a repeat for the entire journey to Halure.

"Um, shouldn't we get going? I don't know quite how long it will take us to get there, but shouldn't we make the best of our time?" He interjected quickly. The others nodded (some of them grudgingly) and began to pack up their blankets. After a couple of minutes, they stood ready to leave.

"If we hurry, we might get there before nightfall." Yuri said quietly. "Let's go." For being so tired, they moved pretty quickly to the door. Karol mumbled something (probably another complaint) to which Estelle giggled and made a quiet reply. A few scholars stared at them as they left, though Aster was not quite sure whether said scholars were truly awake. Their glazed-over eyes made them looked like zombies—actual zombies, not monsters that bore striking resemblances to them. After all, the undead did not exist in reality; only monsters that people mistook for ghosts and walking skeletons and the like. He saw a little drool dripping from the corner one's mouth and knew it was time to avert his eyes. Thank goodness he never was like that despite the times he had stayed up for more than thirty hours straight.

As they approached the mouth of the cavern, Aster saw little difference in the light levels . The sun had barely begun to peek over the horizon, but simply seeing the sunrise invigorated him. Moving felt good, too; he did not want to sleep the time away. Travel and research had been his life in Aselia; why couldn't it be a part of his life here?

This time, when he saw one of those shaggy, herd monsters—a rhinossus, according to Karol—he smiled. Yes, there was science to be done here, too, but now was time to get moving.

* * *

******************Leave a review if you'd like; any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. If you do leave a review, I'll try my best so send you guys a short preview of the next chapter of the story. Unfortunately, guest reviews will not be able to receive these previews. Thank you for reading, and I hope you all stick with me for the next week!**


	8. Chapter 8 - Insecurities

**Yes, yes, this is late, too, I know. I left a comment in my profile detailing that it would be due to illness and a field trip in which I was gone. But I'm back, this is edited, and ready to go!**

******Thanks as always to Alexandria Moon for editing and Saf Dawnheart for being my awesome idea-bouncer-offer and playthrough buddy!**

******Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Vesperia or it's characters or Aster or anything else I am forgetting. I only "own" the created personality and history for Aster and this rendition of this game's great story.**

* * *

Chapter 8: Insecurities

Rita eyed Aster silently. Much like how he had on their original trek to Aspio, he was taking in the sights. However, this time he seemed far more enthusiastic than anyone had a right to be. The brightness in his eyes as he asked a groggy Karol about the monsters he saw had to belie something sinister. All of it was too much like Trinn before he showed his true face.

Trinn. That name sent a shiver through her. It wasn't as if... She wasn't afraid of him or anything! She just hated him; what he did almost four years ago would never be forgiven. She watched each member of their group for a few moments and suppressed the quiver of _something_ in her stomach. They did not matter; she had her blastia. She did not need anyone else. They would just hurt her in the end, anyway.

Something was off about Estellise, though, and she was not sure what. The way the pink-haired girl cast her spells was odd. Rita was unsure what it was exactly, but she would find out soon. It was true that she wanted to investigate Halure's tree, but Estellise was the far more interesting puzzle. Did her blastia use different formulas to assist in spellcasting? Or was it something more?

She would find out, one way or another, or her name wasn't Rita Mordio.

"Rita, are you all right?" Aster had slowed his pace to match hers—she was lagging behind the rest of the group, apparently. His voice sounded concerned, though who knew how genuine it was. He could be a good actor.

'_But why would he have gone through the trouble of putting himself in danger to help me?_' A part of her wondered. It was a valid point, but she brushed it away. It was likely a convincing ploy. He should have died in the ruins, too, when that giant golem struck him with that laser. Why would he have been so stupid if it was an act? Or did he know what Bartholomew was capable of?

"_Show him to me." Rita demanded as soon as they set off from the ruins. Aster looked puzzled for a few moments. The exhaustion in his eyes contradicted his easy, continued pace. "The blastia, Bartholomew. What did you think I meant?" It took a few moments for the idiot to nod and pull out the necklace hidden under his shirt. The crystalline blastia, its normal bright red color somehow more subdued, glowed faintly as he walked. "So, he worked. What happened?"_

_The blonde shrugged helplessly. "I'm not quite sure. I watched that beam hit me, and I guess I just got scared. I saw those barriers crack like nothing, and I thought that I was going to..." He paused for some reason and swallowed. "...that I was going to die. Then, there was another barrier, and I found myself on the ground, aching all over. I looked, and the crystal was glowing."_

_His emotions seemed mixed; he still appeared to know nothing, but his mumbling proved that she was right to have given him the blastia. Attaching Bartholomew to someone else definitely seemed to be working. The brunette frowned. "He's working now, too."_

_Aster's eyes widened. "Really?" He grabbed the necklace and pulled the bodhi blastia to near eye level. Dangling on the chain beside Bartholomew was a slightly tarnished silver object. Was that a locket? Well, she didn't really care about that right now. He released the gem-like structure. "I guess it is. Maybe it's because I'm tired, because it's been working like this ever since we started heading back through the ruins." Rita listened intently. Providing the user with energy was normal for a bodhi blastia. Creating a barrier, on the other hand, was not. It was nothing new for blastia in general, but nothing this size had ever been able to do it before._

_This needed more study._

"Um, Rita? Can you hear me?" The mage blinked, startled from her thoughts. His concern seemed to have grown, and there was no exhaustion in his eyes today. His bodhi blastia was visible this time, though it was neither glowing nor an unusual shade of red.

"I'm fine," She replied quietly. Did he really know more than he was letting on? He slipped up with the mention of Sorcerer's Rings yesterday, but it still was possible that he had read about it like he said. He seemed innocent...

But so had Trinn.

"I'm fine," Rita repeated, shaking her head and moving ahead. She heard a sigh as Aster began to catch up with her.

* * *

Halure was beautiful. A massive cherry blossom tree sat upon a hill above the town, its pink petals swirling in the wind around them. Unfamiliar symbols surrounded by light hovered in the air above the tree. The light extended far beyond the tree, becoming dimmer and dimmer as it encapsulated the town and presumedly reached the ground. Aster felt it best not to ask what it was. Instead, he hoped that he would find the answer in idle chatter. After all, whatever the symbols and the circular patterns meant, they seemed important.

Night was approaching quickly. Aster hoped that Yuri would agree to staying the night in this town because the blonde was not quite convinced that making a nighttime camp in the wilderness was safe. Safety of camping aside, he also wanted to purchase more supplies. On the way to Halure, Estelle had revealed that their gel and food supply was dwindling. The next town was supposed to be somewhat close, but it never hurt to have more than enough supplies.

Rita ran off, mumbling something about going to see the tree. It was only then that the blonde remembered her mentioning something before about checking out Halure's barrier. He waved to her as she raced off, but of course she did not see.

A kindly old man called out Yuri's name. His head was mostly bald and what hair remained at the sides was gray. Laughter lines framed the corners of his mouth, and his bright eyes told Aster that the man was glad to see them. His shirt was green and oversized and his dark pants were baggy. He approached the group with a warm smile and dipped his head slightly in greeting. "You've returned, then! The knight said you would."

As before, the mention of "knight" cheered Estelle. "Flynn was here? What else did he say? Is he still here? Can we talk to him?"

The man chuckled at her enthusiasm and shook his head. "Unfortunately, you missed him. He was here but a few hours before you arrived and he did not stay long. He did entrust me with this letter to pass on to you, Yuri." The man withdrew a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to de facto leader of their group before walking back to his home—the largest building that Aster could see other than the inn. Was this man the mayor?

The dark-haired swordsman opened the paper and blinked upon seeing the contents. A curious Karol went to Yuri's side to see what was wrong and froze. Aster's brow furrowed. Was it something bad?

The boy answered that. "A wanted poster?! Wh-why would there be a wanted poster for you, Yuri?!"

The man in question grinned at him. "Guess I made a little too much mischief. Let's see... Aw, come on! Only five thousand gald? Sheesh." Aster stared. A wanted poster for him, and all Yuri was concerned about was that the reward for his capture was _only_ five thousand gald?!

"But what did you do to earn that much, Yuri?" Karol wondered aloud. Estelle's face fell, but she said nothing. Yuri caught her expression, though the youth did not. "Y-you didn't kill anyone, did you?" He stammered. Yuri shook his head.

"If you wanted to know every single little thing that I've done wrong in twenty-one years, Karol, we'd be here a long time." He ruffled the guild member's hair, to which the boy cried out in indignant protest. It brought a small smile to the healer's face, at least.

"Did Flynn leave any message?" She asked after a few moments. Instead of reading it aloud himself, Yuri handed it to her to read. Aster stepped to her side to read over her shoulder. W-A-N-T-E-D—those letters would always be present at the top of a wanted posted in any world. After committing the letters (and the numerical characters that must have read five thousand and G) to memory, his eyes drifted to the small, scrawled note at the bottom of the paper.

"I'm going to Nor Harbor. Catch up to me and beware the assassins with glowing red eyes." Estelle read. "Glowing red eyes? Yuri, that sounds like..." Yuri grimaced and nodded. "Th-then, what do we do?"

The swordsman thought about it and shrugged. "Well, we might be dealing with some dangerous people now. Do you want to go back to the castle?"

"I'm really not sure." She said, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. Estelle clasped her hands together and looked down with a contemplative frown.

"Well, think about it and tell me later. We'll leave Halure tomorrow morning, so you have until then to decide." Yuri returned. "In the meantime, I'm going to see what Rita's up to." He smirked. "Karol, I'm counting on you to keep them out of trouble. Don't disappoint me!" Ignoring the young boy's protests, the raven-haired man left them there.

No one said anything for some time. With nothing better to do, Aster found himself counting the flower petals swirling in the air—not that he got far since he quickly lost track of said petals.

Estelle finally ended the period of silence by clearing her throat. "I think I'm going to need some time alone to think." She mumbled. Her arms were stiff, though her hands fidgeted. Karol looked a bit concerned, but he did not reply.

"All right. Meet up at the inn later, Estelle?" Aster suggested. The young woman nodded. "Come on, Karol." The guild member's brow furrowed, but he said nothing. The two of them ambled through town, conversing minimally. To say that their "exchanges" were even conversations was an overstatement; this was due to the fact that their chatter consisted mainly of Karol's rambling. However, upon a few pauses in Karol's speech, Aster seized the opportunities and asked him a few things about the world. Unlike with Rita, the blonde did not have to worry about the brown-haired boy reacting violently to him.

The researcher learned many valuable things: One, the lights and symbols in the sky were part of a barrier, which did indeed keep monsters out of towns. (Quite a handy invention, to be sure.) Second, Karol was moody. Third, there were two major political forces in the world—the guilds, with power focused mainly in Dahngrest and Nordopolica, and the Empire with its power centralized in Zaphias, the imperial capital. Apparently, there was no emperor at this time, but Karol could not provide any more information on that front. Fourth, Aster also learned from the boy's low rambling that Karol wanted to show Halure's blossoms to someone. Presumably some girl named Nan.

"So, then, these guilds... What are they for, exactly?" Karol stopped rambling for about fifteen seconds to stare at Aster. After those fifteen seconds were over, he launched back into more explanations and meandering streams of words. What the Aselian could gather was that the guilds were made up of people who wanted to break free from the empire and live by their own rules, and that they were far more self-reliant than the average imperial citizen. There were many guilds—no one knew exactly how many—and apparently someone called the Don was "so cool!"

And Karol was currently a member of the Hunting Blades guild, which studied and hunted monsters. This piqued Aster's interest. "Then each member of your guild knows a lot about them, don't they?" The boy's face fell for a few moments, momentarily puzzling the blonde, but a cheerful expression overtook anything else on the guild member's face.

"Yeah! We have to learn a lot about different monsters so that we know their weaknesses and can take them down more easily. I've even been working on my Monster Book! Each member is supposed to write down their experiences with monsters so that they can share advice with their fellow Hunting Blades." He returned.

Aster smiled, caught up in the boy's energy. "May I have a look? Or are non-members not allowed to?" Karol nodded and took out a thick book from that large bag of his. He handed it to the blonde. The book's binding was made out of thick leather, a few letters etched in black ink on the cover. The researcher peered intensely at the almost runic symbols until he realized with a flicker of embarrassment that they simply read M-O-N-S-T-E-R B-O-O-K. He should have known.

Before Karol could wonder why he stared so long at the cover, Aster flipped the book open. He quickly discovered that most of the pages were blank and many were only marked with what appeared to be names of monsters. A few pages toward the front contained sketches and somewhat detailed information in a childish, but somewhat legible scrawl. It took some time, but he managed to decipher the entry to one monster he had seen plenty of out in the plains. R-H-I-N-O-S-S-U-S, read the top of the page in bold letters. A few squiggles off to the side of some sketches seemed to designate average size and weight of the monster, but the numbers were hardly discernible.

"That's pretty cool," Aster said. Karol beamed at the words. "Actually, I used to study monsters and, uh...various other creatures, so I like looking at these sorts of things. I saw that there was not much filled in for many of the pages, though." Now the boy deflated. Hurriedly, the blonde added, "B-but I can help you with that, if you'd like! I would love to help fill the pages if I would be allowed to." As expected, Karol's mood improved at the offer. The boy even nodded vigorously. "Then it's settled!" Aster smiled and handed the book back to its rightful owner. "Anytime you want to work on it, let me know. I'll keep my eyes open to study the monsters we come across."

Karol grinned and thanked him with a quick word. He then dashed off to do...whatever it was that he wanted to do. Aster watched the boy vanish and glanced at the sky. Now what? As he held his arms behind his head, something in the pack on his shoulder jingled. Gald, he presumed. No one had gotten inn rooms yet, so perhaps he could do that? To his left was a large building built in the center of town. A worn wooden sign hung from the roof that read I-N-N.

Aster grinned, feeling rather proud of the progress he had made in learning these people's alphabet. He headed straight toward the building with a bounce in his step. Once inside, the innkeeper eyed him with a smile. "Do you need a room for the night?" She asked.

Aster nodded. "Two, please. I'm traveling with, uh, some friends." He hoped that two rooms would be enough. Sure, there were some rooms that were smaller, but the ones he was used to had many beds per room. Granted, when a generic inn room came to mind, he thought of the ones in Meltokio since that was where he stayed when he had to work at the Elemental Research Institute. Tethe'alla's capital probably was not the standard inn, however. "I mean, that is, would two rooms work for five people?"

The innkeeper was silent for a few moments. "Yes, it would work if you took the first two rooms on the second floor." She finally said. "If that's acceptable, then that would be three-hundred gald for the night." Aster nodded and fished out three one-hundred gald coins. He placed them on the counter and slid them toward the innkeeper. She traded the coins for a couple of keys. "Thank you very much, sir."

The blonde's lips twitched into a smile as he took the keys and stuffed them into his inner coat pocket. The word "sir" made him feel old. True, he had always been entrusted with responsibilities befitting one much older, but he had only lived for sixteen years.

Who knew how many he had been dead for. With that sobering thought in mind, he gave a little friendly wave to the innkeeper before leaving out the front door. Hopefully Rita would not be too angry with him for using some of her gald to rent the inn rooms for the night. Perhaps, he decided, it would be best to neglect mentioning it. That way, his poor body would not be decorated with even more bruises.

Seeing Estelle wander into his field of vision cut off that train of thought. "Hey, Estelle!" He called. The pink-haired noblewoman started and looked his way. Her brow was creased, and she was biting her lip. "Are you all right?" Aster asked with no small amount of concern. Was a decision so difficult to reach? Although, perhaps, living the life she had made even such menial tasks rigorous. Returning to the home she had known for so long and safety or continuing onward into the realm of the unknown and peril... Perhaps it was not so easy a decision, after all.

The healer averted her eyes. "I just don't know what to do," She admitted.

Aster frowned and battled between different ways to handle the situation. He did not plan for his words to spill out as they did. "I got us some rooms at the inn. That is, um, if you'd rather talk about this there." He blinked and berated himself: '_Aster, thou art an idiot_.' Still, there was no taking back his words.

Somehow, it seemed to help.

"Thank you, Aster. That was kind of you." The healer said with a giggle. "I think I'll do that. I'm sure Yuri and the others will come looking for us later." The blonde nodded and led the way to the rooms he had rented for the night with Rita's gald.

"Halure's such a beautiful town, isn't it?" Estelle commented as they entered the room. She sat down in one of the chairs and gestured for Aster to sit opposite her. He did so.

"It is," Aster replied. "I admit, I haven't really seen anything like it before. Still, I'm very glad that I did."

Estelle blinked and paused as she processed this bit of information. "Did you not get to leave Aspio much?" Aspio. Of course she would still think that he was from there, despite what Rita said. Of course, it made more sense rather than his being from...well, nowhere. Still, he was hesitant to give a reply. The girl was patient, but curiosity lit up her eyes and it begged an answer.

Aster chose his words carefully and granted her a response. "Well, I got to travel some, but not much. I never actually saw Halure. After all, I spent time more in the field or at the capital rather than, uh, exploring other cities."

She gasped, and that single action told him that he had said something wrong. "You've been to the capital? What did you think?" He should have known that the capital of this world's kingdom—rather, empire—would be her home. Still, she seemed naïve enough that he would not garner suspicion with a few neutral words.

"The capital? Well, it was big and there were lots of people there. I'm not too used to seeing so many people, but that makes it all the more interesting to watch them go about their daily lives." What would a reply be without his big mouth blurting more than he meant? "I was born there, actually. I only left when the researchers took notice of my unusual intellect and..." After Mom and Ty died, of course. It felt so long ago now.

"And?"

Shoot. This was _not_ a situation that he wanted to address. "I, uh, became a researcher, too. I was nine." Astonishment entered her face. Aster could not help but smile sadly; he did not want to seem like he was bragging. There were too many people who would possess some sort of special attribute or ability and it would give them a huge ego. Were the day ever to come that he became one of those people, he would punch himself in the face. Not that that would probably do too much anyway.

"Wow! So you're just like Rita!" His eyes widened. They had that in common? Of course, he knew that the mage was intelligent, but he had no idea that they shared a similar backstory. Or, rather, that there was a similar thing in their pasts.

"I guess so." He frowned. This conversation was turning to become too much about him. While Estelle was kind and trusting, he still did not think he could trust her with the truth. Mistrust burned and twisted within his stomach, but no one would believe him about Aselia and about his death if he told them. Not even her, and definitely not Rita. It wasn't logical.

Aster instead asked about why she had wanted to catch up with Flynn so badly. He knew the answer, of course, but it was a welcome subject change.

"Well, Flynn's my friend and he's in grave danger! I wanted to warn him about it, but..."

"...he already knows of it," Aster finished. She nodded. "But, he's your friend. You know him, I'm guessing, from the capital?" Another nod and a yes. "Do you miss it? The capital, I mean." Third nod. "And you've enjoyed traveling?" Fourth. "Which would you miss more?" Silence and stillness.

Estelle stared down the table. Had she been in a staring contest with the wooden piece of furniture, Aster was certain that she would win. "Well," He began slowly, "it's like Yuri said. You have some time to think about it, don't you? I won't try to push you in either one way or the other." As he said this, part of him wished he had not. It was selfish, but he wanted for the healer to come with them. After all, Yuri and Rita were not the kindest to him, though Yuri seemed indifferent now.

Estelle only smiled graciously. "I'm sorry, Aster. I just don't know what to do." Aster waved it off with a smile. She sighed and returned her gaze to the table. "I just wish I knew that Flynn would be safe. Even if he does know about the assassins, he could still..." She trailed off, apparently unwilling to continue that train of thought.

"Well, he's pretty tough, isn't he?" Estelle seemed like she would worry overly about things even if there was no necessity to do so. If Flynn knew of the assassins already, surely that marked him as pretty capable. "I'm sure he'll be fine." She did not appear to be convinced. "Well, while you think that over, could I see that wanted poster?" The healer blinked, but took it out from a white satchel and handed it to him. Aster unfolded it and focused on trying to read it.

"Wanted: Yuri...Lowell." The researcher muttered under his breath as he pieced the letters together. "Wanted for crimes of...jailbreak and, huh, that part is too smudged to read. Five thousand gald reward for live capture." That much for jailbreak? Whatever the other charge was, it had to be bad. Normal jailbreak would never offer a bounty of that much money, even with a repeated offense. What other crime did Yuri commit? Or, perhaps, what other crime did he _not_?

The blonde neither noticed nor heard Estelle excuse herself, so when he had finished reading, he was surprised to find her gone. He sighed and returned to looking over the paper. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the drawing of Yuri was rather terrible. It looked as though the only one available to make the drawing was a child. The lines were poor, the facial features were disturbingly disproportionate, and Yuri's hair in the sketch was short and jagged. The only thing that was correct about it was the color of his hair and eyes and clothing. One with an imagination might be able to recognize Yuri from the awful drawing, but the normal person would have to squint to even remotely see the resemblance. At the least, the de facto leader of their group would be harder to match to the wanted criminal on the poster.

It made Aster think, though: Were the knights in so poor a shape that they could only afford to create a reference like _this_? Either way, it was a discouraging thought. He rolled the wanted poster back up and stashed it with Rita's pack. With nothing else to do, he made himself comfortable on one of the beds and pulled out his journal.

_If the other towns of this world are like Halure,_ he wrote, _I don't think I will mind this journey in the slightest._

* * *

Repede's low bark and the sound of shattering glass woke Aster from his slumber. His eyes snapped open and widened considerably as he saw at least one dark figure roll across the floor. All he could see was the shimmering reflection of steel and glowing red eyes.

Red eyes. '_...and beware the assassins with glowing red eyes._' Flynn's warning sent a shiver down his spine. These were the assassins? How had they found them here, of all places? There was a growl as Repede rushed one of the two assassins. The blonde heard a thud and a whine as the dog was kicked in the side.

Yuri drew his weapon and clashed with the assassin nearest to the window. "I didn't know that we'd be entertaining guests tonight," he commented, "else I'd have prepared a warmer welcome!" As his eyes began to adjust to the darker room, Aster saw the swordsman and assassin crossing blades. Yuri appeared to be the stronger of the two, but the red eye withdrew his weapon and backed up. The faceless man renewed his attack a moment later with two blades rather than one. The blonde's companion parried this attack with a grunt.

The assassin drew back one weapon and struck with it on the other side. Yuri could not block it, but he tried his best to edge away from it. Aster scrambled into activity and tried to find where he had placed his sword the night before. A pained gasp told him that Yuri had been hit by the attack. Repede growled as he sliced the calf of his master's assailant. The second assassin rushed to his companion's aid and jabbed at Yuri. The attack did not meet its mark, as the swordsman took a large step back from the two. Their constant, combined assault pushed Yuri toward a corner.

Aster cursed his hopeless state. His weapon was misplaced, but he had to do something! He grabbed his lab coat and rushed toward the assassin who had his back turned to him. With coat in hand, he surprised the red eye by covering the assassin's head in the coat and yanking back. "Yuri!" The blonde called. The swordsman blinked at the unorthodox "combat strategy" but stabbed the blinded man in the heart.

Why were the red eyes completely ignoring him? Was it because Yuri was their target, or did they simply not consider him a threat? Aster knew that he was not a fighter worth mentioning, but he still could _help_. He recovered his coat as the dying man fell to the floor. No stain...that was good.

What wasn't good was that the remaining assassin had sustained no other injury as of yet. There was no emotional response from seeing his comrade fall. The only difference now was his words:

"_Slice!_" The remaining red eye hissed. It was soft and detached; words of a murder machine. Worry gripped Aster as he watched, frozen and helpless. However, Yuri proved far more practical about fighting than he had thought and the tables turned quickly.

The swordsman punched his attacker in the stomach with his free hand to stun him. Yuri began the offensive with quick, hard slashes. The assassin parried some, but the others managed to create shallow wounds. Repede began an attack from behind and sliced up the unknown man's thigh down to his knee. The red eye stumbled back a few steps and dropped out the broken window. The dog approached it and placed his two front paws on the windowsill as if he might follow, but Yuri shook his head.

"Don't worry about him, Repede. We need to see if the girls and Karol are okay." The dark-haired man grimaced and limped forward. In the dull moonlight that poured through the window, Aster could see that Yuri held his left hand tightly on his side. A splash of discoloration was on the clothing, but the blonde could not quite see the red that he was sure had welled up there.

"But, Yuri," The researcher protested, "you're hurt!"

The older of the two shook his head. "I'll be fine, sheesh. I don't need another Estelle worrying over me anytime I skin my knee. Besides, we need to check on the others. If you're that worried about me, Estelle can heal this, okay?" Aster sighed and nodded, knowing that he would get nowhere with Yuri. He was right, too: the others could be in danger. Yuri wanted Karol to stay with the girls to protect Estelle (since, after all, Rita would kill them and stick their heads on a pike if either of them even _suggested_ trying to protect her), but Aster was not quite sure whether the young boy would be up to the task. Karol seemed a good kid, but he did not seem to be able to fend for himself, much less others.

"Hey, kid, where's your sword?"

Aster froze and swallowed. "Uh, I'm not quite sure. I put it somewhere around here." He threw a pillow to the side as he began searching for the weapon again. "I think."

Yuri rolled his eyes and headed for the door with his dog. "Well, find it and come on! I'm going on ahead." The blonde nodded and continued looking for the sword. Where had he put it?! He went to his knees and crawled under the bed to look. Lo and behold, there it was, the hilt almost touching the wall.

Aster snatched up the sheath and raced outside. He dashed around the corner and passed the threshold into the other room. Inside, Yuri and Repede had already commenced battle with an assassin while Estelle, Karol, and Rita battled the other. Rita, for some strange reason, was only using her belt and a book to fight, and she looked rather irritated at the mere existence of the red eyes. Aster stood at a loss of what to do. They all seemed fine, and he feared that he would only get in the way.

"Aster, behind you!" Rita's call startled him. The blonde turned around quickly to see the assassin who had jumped from the window rushing to him. He drew his blade out of the too-big sheath and held it in both hands to await his attacker. The already-hurt assassin attacked quickly, but Aster managed to block his opponent's weapon—albeit awkwardly. He then made the mistake of trying to attack the assassin, who was still able to dodge despite his injuries. He switched to holding his sword in one hand and punching with the other, but that did not work, either.

The man tilted his head slightly. "_Cut!_" He murmured, and he did. "_Slice!_" And he did. The blonde tried to defend himself against these attacks, and while he managed to block one, the second succeeded in cutting deeply into the inside of his dominant right arm. His sword fell from his hand and clattered to the ground. Sticky, warm blood gushed out of the wound live a river. He could only stare at it as it soaked his long-sleeved black shirt and began to drip down to his fingertips. He stumbled backward and collapsed against the wall as a wave of dizziness rushed through him. A deep sigh left him. He couldn't fight against anything. His attacks were sloppy, his movements were awkward, and there was little power behind his hits. How did he expect to survive on this journey?

"Aster!" Through blurring vision he could barely see Estelle trying to maneuver toward him. The assassin who had hurt him turned on her and blocked her way. He launched an attack, but she caught it on her shield and cut his hand with her own blade. One of the red eye's two weapons fell from his hand. Still, he did not give up. He tried to attack again, but the strike fell short. Blood began to blossom around the sword that appeared in the center of his chest. The steel tore out of him with a sickening sound, and the man crumpled to the floor. Estelle offered a smile to Yuri for his assistance.

"We gotta go," He urged quietly. His face was grim as he knelt by Aster's side.

"Yuri?" The blonde murmured. He could barely see the swordsman.

"Yeah. Geez, kid, you're a mess." He grabbed the researcher by his unhurt arm and pulled him to his feet. "Repede, get our bags!" The dog barked and ran out of the room. Yuri cursed under his breath at something he saw by the window. By Karol's cries, Aster guessed that it had something to do with the other two red eyes.

Estelle—at least he thought so, judging by the gentle touch—laid her hand on his shoulder. "Let me heal him, Yuri! If not, then he might-"

Yuri shook his head. "We don't have the time! If you do that, you could both be killed! I'll wrap it while you go help the others. Go!"

An unfinished word escaped her mouth, but she assented. Yuri set the Aselian down by the doorway and took out a bandage from the pack at Aster's side. He began wrapping the bandage around the still-bleeding arm, snipped the cloth with his teeth, and tied it off. "That should hold for a while. Just don't jostle it, okay?" Aster was not sure whether he nodded or not, but he silently promised to not do that.

"Ha!" A thunk filled the air. A few moments later, Estelle, Rita and Karol appeared beside them. The brunette frowned upon seeing Aster's condition. "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

The blonde blinked as if it was the most difficult question to comprehend. He did not get a chance to speak as Yuri cut in, "No time to explain. Come on!" He pulled Aster back to his feet and began slowly out of the inn.

Everything else was a jumbled mess. Aster remembered bits and pieces—mostly Estelle worrying and Rita yelling at Yuri. Simply closing his eyes and sleeping sounded the tantalizing, but as soon as his eyes closed and his breathing began to slow, Yuri jerked him forward. Irritation boiled through him. He had already put up with so much, and now he was not even allowed the peace of sleep!

"Yuri, please stop! I don't think he'll last much longer!" Estelle pleaded.

The swordsman paused, took in his surroundings, and nodded. "All right. I'll put him down. Hang in there a little longer, kid." Aster mumbled his name in reply, but no one gave any indication of hearing it. Estelle rushed to his aid and held his arm between both hands. His eyes were already closed, but after a few moments, he began to feel a soothing warmth radiate up his arm. It took him a minute after the sensation faded to realize that she had stopped healing. He opened his eyes to take a quick glance. Estelle had already unwrapped the bloody bandage to reveal perfectly healed skin. The only sign that he had ever been hurt (other than dried blood) was a thin line that ran from his wrist to the inside of his elbow.

"That's the best I can do," Estelle said softly. Her face was very pale. "He's just lost so much blood that I don't know if-"

Yuri offered a reassuring grin. "Hey, I'm sure he'll be fine. After all, he's more resilient than he looks. He _did_ survive that giant stone monster's attack back in the ruins." The noblewoman nodded, but her expression did not change. With a slow intake of breath, Yuri turned his wounded side from her and took a few steps away. "We'll have to set up a watch here. I don't know if they're still following us, but you can't be too careful." He hefted his sword lazily over his right shoulder and looked out from the woods and into the plains surrounding Halure.

Aster blinked. Woods? When did they... He closed his eyes. He really must have been out of it. He still felt woozy, but he would recover. He would be fine; he had to be. The blonde reopened his eyes and turned his head toward Yuri. He was about to open his mouth to speak when he saw the swordsman stiffen.

Voices. He did not recognize them, but their words were loud and clear. "Yuuuuuuri Loooooooowell! Where are you?" Estelle gasped, obviously recognizing the voice. Karol and Rita, on the other hand, looked confused to varying degrees. Yuri, meanwhile, groaned.

"Sir," Another voice that was much softer. "your voice really carries. If they are in the area, they'll hear you for sure."

"Bah! A knight does not fear a lowly criminal!"

Aster used a tree as a support to pull himself to his feet. Lightheadedness assaulted him and nearly forced him to his knees, but he persisted with gritted teeth and remained standing. "Who are they?" he whispered.

Yuri blinked, surprised at the question from him. "Just some knights who need to take a vacation for once." The loud knight shouted the swordsman's name again in that same drawn-out manner. This elicited a sigh from the man at Aster's side. "A long one."

The blonde took a few steps closer to the voices and eventually could see their outlines. One of the knights was short and carried a spear, and another was tall and thin. The other, presumably the leader, was somewhere in between. "What do we do, then?"

"Just wait. Even they have to give up eventually." Yuri's tone hinted that he did not feel very confidently about this answer, however. Aster nodded slowly and crouched as one of the knights turned around.

"I say, I heard something over there!" Said tall-and-thin. Aster bit his lip. Surely he had made no noise? Perhaps it was only coincidence that the knights turned their way...

Karol panicked. He began making some noises that sounded somewhat like an avian creature. Upon turning around, Aster saw the boy had cupped his hands around his mouth and was shifting nervously.

The knights seemed to buy it, even if the researcher would not have. "That just sounds like a bird! Not even Yuri would resort to such trickery!" He could not hear what short-and-stout said, but guessed it was a concern. "Fine, go and take a quick look. I will continue looking for Yuri and Lady Estellise!" Karol froze, abruptly cutting off his birdcall. That was sure to draw suspicion. Aster licked his lips and copied Karol's gesture and avian imitation. It was not exact, but he was proud that he managed to find a similar pitch and rhythm.

Yet, for all his effort, the knight continued to approach their hiding spot. Aster's thoughts raced as he tried to think of something to waylay the figure, but his "genius" failed him.

Yuri came to the rescue with a brash, but potentially effective plan of attack. He picked up a rock half the size of his palm, aimed, and pitched it toward the knight. The rock struck a little above the knight's temple, and the figure dropped with a thud. Aster stopped making a birdcall and crawled toward the downed knight. He checked the vitals to make sure that he was okay—a helmet was sure to protect him, but the researcher had to make sure—and found that tall-and-thin was only unconscious.

"Oh, just leave him already. Come on!" Rita came from behind and grabbed his left arm. He blinked and turned, a bit loathe to leave the man unconscious here in the wilderness. "He'll be _fine_! Come on, you idiot!" With a sigh, he nodded and allowed himself to be dragged off.

It looked like their group was not going to get much sleep that night.

* * *

**You all know the drill; review if you'd like, but please leave constructive criticism if you can think of anything in particular. Reviewers will be sent a small sneak-peek of the next chapter. ********************Unfortunately, guest reviews will not be able to receive these previews. Thank you for reading, and I hope you all stick with me for the next week!** Next week, the group will reach the domain of everyone's "favorite" boss!


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